We Matter: Pilot Study on the Impact of Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi-American (APIDA) Stories of Mental Illness to Address Stigma

Asian Americans (AA) have experienced increased rates of serious mental illness over the past decade. Past research has identified perceived and personal mental illness stigma as significant barriers to seeking treatment for mental health concerns, particularly in the Asian American community. One way to address stigma has been through narratives told from the perspective of community members of a stigmatized identity. Therefore, this study examines the impact of This Is My Brave: Stories from the Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American Community (TIMB: SAC; a narrative-based stigma reduction intervention) on audience members. Participants (N = 89; mean age = 27.62[SD = 9.82]) had a significant increase in intentions to seek care and a significant decrease in personal mental illness stigma, perceived mental illness stigma, and anti-Asian American stereotypes from pre-intervention to post-intervention. We did not find any significant differences between AA and non-AA individuals on any of the dependent measures (personal stigma, perceived stigma, anti-racism, anti-Asian attitudes, and intentions to seek care). This study has implications for TIMB: SAC as a stigma reduction intervention.