Changing Perceptions Through Paralympic Media: Repeated Exposure Effects on Attitudes and Stigma Toward People with Physical Disabilities

This study investigated how repeated exposure to Paralympic media content influences audiences’ attitudes and stigma toward people with physical disabilities (PWD). Drawing on parasocial interaction theory (PSI), the parasocial contact hypothesis (PCH), and cultivation theory, a multi-wave online time-series experiment was conducted with 156 U.S. participants. Results showed that repeated exposure improved attitudes toward PWD and reduced stigma indirectly via increased empathy. However, face-to-face contact and social presence did not significantly moderate these effects. Findings suggest that affective engagement, rather than mere exposure, is a key driver for changing attitudes and stigma. Overall, this study contributes to media effects frameworks by highlighting empathy as both a mediating mechanism and an individual difference factor shaping how repeated media exposure can foster social inclusion and destigmatization of PWD.