Evaluation of two web-based interventions in reducing the stigma of suicide

Suicide is more highly stigmatized than most mental health conditions; however, no interventions have aimed to modify the stigma of suicide in the general population. This study tested the efficacy of two brief web-based interventions—psychoeducation and interpersonal exposure—in reducing suicide-related stigma in a student/community sample. A sample of 266 adults completed baseline measures of suicide-related stigma, were randomized into one of three conditions (psychoeducation, interpersonal exposure, control), in which they browsed an assigned website for twenty minutes, and completed post-intervention and one-month follow-up stigma measures. Results indicated that the two interventions were more efficacious than the control in reducing suicide-related stigma; this effect was accentuated for individuals without prior exposure to suicide. Although future research is needed to understand the mechanisms of change and the generalizability of these findings, it is possible that web-based interventions could be a cost- and time-effective avenue of targeting the widespread stigma of suicide.