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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2014;204(5):391-7.
doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.113.135772. Epub 2014 Jan 16.

Efficacy of Coming Out Proud to reduce stigma's impact among people with mental illness: pilot randomised controlled trial

Nicolas Rüsch  1 , Elvira Abbruzzese, Eva Hagedorn, Daniel Hartenhauer, Ilias Kaufmann, Jan Curschellas, Stephanie Ventling, Gianfranco Zuaboni, René Bridler, Manfred Olschewski, Wolfram Kawohl, Wulf Rössler, Birgit Kleim, Patrick W Corrigan
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Efficacy of Coming Out Proud to reduce stigma's impact among people with mental illness: pilot randomised controlled trial

Nicolas Rüsch et al. Br J Psychiatry. 2014.

Abstract

Background: Facing frequent stigma and discrimination, many people with mental illness have to choose between secrecy and disclosure in different settings. Coming Out Proud (COP), a 3-week peer-led group intervention, offers support in this domain in order to reduce stigma's negative impact.

Aims: To examine COP's efficacy to reduce negative stigma-related outcomes and to promote adaptive coping styles (Current Controlled Trials number: ISRCTN43516734).

Method: In a pilot randomised controlled trial, 100 participants with mental illness were assigned to COP or a treatment-as-usual control condition. Outcomes included self-stigma, empowerment, stigma stress, secrecy and perceived benefits of disclosure.

Results: Intention-to-treat analyses found no effect of COP on self-stigma or empowerment, but positive effects on stigma stress, disclosure-related distress, secrecy and perceived benefits of disclosure. Some effects diminished during the 3-week follow-up period.

Conclusions: Coming Out Proud has immediate positive effects on disclosure- and stigma stress-related variables and may thus alleviate stigma's negative impact.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interest

P.W.C. developed the Coming Out Proud programme.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow chart of participants. COP, Coming Out Proud; T0, baseline; T1, 3 weeks after baseline; T2, 3-week follow-up, 6 weeks after baseline.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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