Reducing Stigma Through a Mental Health Art Exhibition and Its Printed Brochure: an Social-contact Intervention Study

Mental health art exhibitions, as an intervention strategy integrating artistic expression and social contact, have the potential to positively impact the elimination of stigma and discrimination associated with mental health problems. Based on a two-phase experimental design, this study aims to evaluate the effect of a real-world mental health art exhibition (Phase One) and its printed brochure (Phase Two) on stigma/discrimination and related outcomes, such as mental health literacy. The evaluation will encompass three categories of people: those with lived experience of mental disorders, family members and friends of those with lived experience, and the general public. Qualitative methods, such as in-depth interviews, will also be used for the evaluation.

The intervention measure is the Second Mental Health Art Science Exhibition scheduled to take place in Wuhan, China from April 27 to May 14, 2024. Organized by "Qixi Charity", an NGO led by individuals with lived experience of mental disorders, as well as their family members and friends, the exhibition will feature offline artworks created by these individuals and other contributors. The exhibited artworks aim to reflect the diverse dimensions of mental health and ill-health.

At Phase One, the effect of the real-world exhibition is evaluated through a single-arm pre-post study design. The adult audience, who are individuals with lived experience of mental disorders, or family members and friends of those with lived experience, or the general public, will be recruited as the experimental group, and they will be surveyed three times: (1) a baseline survey before the interventions (T0); (2) a follow-up survey in the first month after the interventions (T1); (3) a follow-up survey in the sixth month after the interventions (T2). Additionally, the study will perform text analysis of media reports and social media discussions related to the exhibition to supplement the assessment of its social impact.

Due to the high costs and limited feasibility of widespread implementation of the real-world Mental Health Art Exhibition, the intervention was then adapted to a printed exhibition brochure. At Phase Two, the effect of the brochure intervention in reducing stigma and other related outcomes will be assessed and compared with a traditional health education brochure and a postcard as a placebo. Individuals with lived experience of mental disorders, or family members and friends of those with lived experience, or the general public, who do not visit the exhibition of Phase One, will be recurited. After that, individuals with lived experience of mental disorders and their family members or friends will be cluster-randomized to either the exhibition brochure group or the control group (the latter typically receives or seeks out traditional health education materials during healthcare visits). As for the general public will be cluster-randomized into three groups: (1) the exhibition brochure group, (2) the traditional health education brochure group, and (3) the control group. Effectiveness will be evaluated through three surveys: (1) a baseline survey before the interventions (T0); (2) a follow-up survey one month after the interventions (T1); and (3) a follow-up survey six months after the interventions (T2).