Are continuum beliefs about psychotic symptoms associated with stereotypes about schizophrenia?

Abstract

Contact with people diagnosed with schizophrenia, and causal beliefs about the disorder, have both been shown to correlate with stigmatization. However, the associations are complex and heterogeneous. The effects of antistigma campaigns that have implemented personal contact have been limited and interventions promoting biological causal explanations have been found to increase stigmatization in some cases. Possibly a more suitable strategy for antistigma interventions could be to incorporate continuum beliefs, which propose that symptoms of schizophrenia lie on a continuum with normal experiences. The present study considers the potential for interventions focused on continuum beliefs by investigating the association between continuum beliefs and stigmatization. Within a sample of 120 participants of an online study, higher levels of continuum beliefs (assessed with the Continuum Beliefs Questionnaire, CBQ) were significantly correlated with lower stereotype scores. This association remained significant after controlling for known correlates of stereotypes (contact, causal beliefs, and educational level). We did not find an association between continuum beliefs and social distance. It is concluded that the promotion of continuum beliefs should be considered in the development of new antistigma campaigns.

Keywords:

• continuum beliefs
• schizophrenia
• stereotypes
• social distance
• stigma