Impact of a one-day training session on borderline personality disorder on stigmatising attitudes and beliefs of health personnel

BACKGROUND: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is highly stigmatized. Stigma, including clinicians' resistance, stigmatizing attitudes, and discriminatory beliefs, could be mitigated by a better knowledge of the disorder. This study evaluates the impact of a one-day training session on stigmatization by health personnel (HP). METHODS: This two-center study prospectively included 172 HP who completed a face-to-face interactive training day embodying dialectical and destigmatizing positions. Elements of psychoeducation, emotional dysregulation model and practical tools were presented. Stigma attitudes and open-mindedness were assessed by the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers self-questionnaire (OMS-HC); and beliefs (feeling of incompetence, pejorative perception of prognosis, guilt) by a custom Beliefs Questionnaire (BQ). Scores before and immediately after the training were compared using Student's paired t-test. RESULTS: Most HP worked in psychiatry (69%) and had no prior education on BPD (89%). Nurses were most represented (35%), ahead of nursing assistants (22%), psychologists (18%), and psychiatrists (10%). All scores decreased after training (p < 0.001): total OMS-HC (MD ± SD=-4 ± 8), attitude sub-score (2 ± 4), disclosure sub-score (1 ± 4); total BQ (6 ± 9), nurse feeling of incompetence sub-score (4 ± 4) and pejorative perception of prognosis sub-score (-2 ± 3). CONCLUSIONS: A one-day training session reduces HPs' stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs and has a positive impact on knowledge and open-mindedness about BPD patients. Training can lean on education about BPD nature, treatment and prognosis, experience-sharing with practical cases, and testimonies. It would enable compassionate and destigmatizing care. Further research is needed about the clinical impact of BPD training and its wider implementation in mental healthcare settings.