Untoward Effects of Anti-Stigma Campaigns and Interventions. Special Issue of Stigma and Health (stigma research of the month)
Anti-stigma campaigns are designed to reduce harm. But what if some messages inadvertently create new forms of stigma?
We explored this question in our webinar and article, When Anti-Stigma Campaigns Backfire: What We Need to Do Differently, featuring researchers Jason Siegel and Marco Yzer alongside Elena Jeffreys and Aisya A. Zaharin. We focused particularly on Siegel and Yzer's research into the unintended effects that anti-stigma campaigns can have on both the general public and people experiencing the stigmatised condition.
But that research formed part of a much bigger body of work worth revisiting: a special issue of Stigma and Health dedicated entirely to the untoward effects of anti-stigma campaigns and the importance of nuance and care when it comes to messaging.
Across nine papers, researchers examine what can go wrong across areas including mental health, addiction, anorexia nervosa, Alzheimer's disease and drug use.
The findings show just how complicated messaging can be. One study found that messages emphasising that anorexia can change with treatment could inadvertently increase blame towards people with the condition, highlighting how even well-intentioned messages can have unexpected effects.
Another study highlighted the complexities of representation in mental health campaigns aimed at immigrants: a lack of racial diversity could feel exclusionary, while featuring a single racialised group could inadvertently reinforce stereotypes.
The takeaway:
The message from the special issue isn't to stop anti-stigma campaigns. It's to evaluate them differently, arguing that unintended harms need to be considered alongside intended benefits, including effects on the very people campaigns are designed to support.
Actions to take:
Test messages before launch, including with people with lived experience
Test with different audiences, rather than assuming everyone will interpret a message in the same way
Look beyond the intended outcome. Ask what other beliefs, assumptions or stereotypes the message might reinforce
Measure unintended harms, not just reach, recall or whether attitudes improved
Be prepared to change course when testing shows a message isn't landing as intended