Listeners’ perspectives of a co-designed podcast on mental illness stigma: a qualitative study

Purpose Stigma towards people living with complex mental health issues is widespread and harmful, preventing help-seeking behaviour, fostering social exclusion and decreasing self-efficacy. This study aims to investigate the usefulness and drawbacks of a mental health-themed podcast in reducing stigma. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative interviews were conducted with 12 participants who had each listened to three episodes of the co-designed podcast “On the Same Wavelength”. Interview data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings Four themes were generated: learning from a trustworthy source; connecting with lived experience; reducing stigma, one listener at a time; and a high-quality podcast with limited reach. Listeners appraised the podcast as improving their attitudes and behavioural intentions towards people living with mental illness and their understanding of mental illness and stigma. They perceived the lived experience narratives as its most impactful element, but felt the podcast might not have mass appeal. Originality/value Despite the popularity of mental health-themed podcasts, there is limited research examining their potential to reduce stigma. This study provided insight into the usefulness, listener acceptability and impactful elements of such podcasts, by exploring listeners’ perspectives of a new podcast co-designed to reduce stigma.