The causal relationship between mental illness-related stigma and mental health knowledge among adolescents at different educational stages: a longitudinal cross-lagged study

An increase in mental health knowledge may not alleviate mental illness-related stigma among adolescent student, but might predict higher levels of stigma, particularly among university students. This suggests that educational interventions focusing solely on knowledge dissemination, without addressing emotional attitudes and social norms, may not only fail to effectively reduce stigma but could potentially produce counterproductive effects. Future anti-stigma strategies should adopt more integrated approaches and pay special attention to the psychosocial characteristics of students at different developmental stages.