Evaluation of the impact of a social media–focused intervention on reducing mental health stigma among pharmacy students

INTRODUCTION: Stigma may negatively affect the treatment of people with mental illness, and pharmacists have the opportunity to play a key role in reducing mental health stigma. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a pharmacy student–focused educational intervention impacts stigma toward people with mental illness. METHODS: A 90-minute interactive learning module, which used social media and fictional case scenarios, was developed and administered to third-year pharmacy students (n = 145) during small group class sessions. The Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC), a validated tool to measure stigma, was administered immediately before and after the intervention. Pre-post OMS-HC scores were analyzed using related samples t tests. RESULTS: A total of 93 presurvey and postsurvey OMS-HC scores were paired and analyzed. Based on the 15-item version of the scale, stigma was significantly reduced, consistent with a score reduction of 4.6%, from 36.8 (95% confidence interval, 35.4-38.1) to 35.1 (95% confidence interval, 33.8-36.3), P < .0001. DISCUSSION: Educational interventions for pharmacy students that use social media applications might reduce mental health stigma. After the intervention, most participants believed that stigma impacts the treatment of mental illness, and that pharmacists may play a role in changing mental health stigma.