title: Efficacy of Coming Out Proud to reduce stigma's impact among people with mental illness: pilot randomised controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Facing frequent stigma and discrimination, many people with mental illness have to choose between secrecy and disclosure in different settings. Coming Out Proud (COP), a 3-week peer-led group intervention, offers support in this domain in order to reduce stigma's negative impact.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine COP's efficacy to reduce negative stigma-related outcomes and to promote adaptive coping styles (Current Controlled Trials number: ISRCTN43516734).
  
  
  METHODS
  In a pilot randomised controlled trial, 100 participants with mental illness were assigned to COP or a treatment-as-usual control condition. Outcomes included self-stigma, empowerment, stigma stress, secrecy and perceived benefits of disclosure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intention-to-treat analyses found no effect of COP on self-stigma or empowerment, but positive effects on stigma stress, disclosure-related distress, secrecy and perceived benefits of disclosure. Some effects diminished during the 3-week follow-up period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Coming Out Proud has immediate positive effects on disclosure- and stigma stress-related variables and may thus alleviate stigma's negative impact.
authors.affiliation: Nicolas Rüsch, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zürich, Switzerland, and Department of Psychiatry II, University of Ulm, Germany; Elvira Abbruzzese, PhD, Eva Hagedorn, MA, Daniel Hartenhauer, MA, Ilias Kaufmann, MA, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zürich, Switzerland; Jan Curschellas, BA, Stephanie Ventling, MSc, Gianfranco Zuaboni, MScN, René Bridler, MD, Sanatorium Kilchberg, Switzerland; Manfred Olschewski, MSc, Department of Medical Biometry and Statistics, University of Freiburg, Germany; Wolfram Kawohl, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zürich, Switzerland; Wulf Rössler, MD, MSc, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric University Hospital Zürich, Switzerland, and Institute of Psychiatry, Laboratory of Neuroscience (LIM 27), University of São Paulo, Brazil; Birgit Kleim, PhD, Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Zürich, Switzerland; Patrick W. Corrigan, PsyD, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, USA.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rüsch
authors.forename: Elvira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Abbruzzese
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hagedorn
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hartenhauer
authors.forename: Ilias
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Curschellas
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ventling
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zuaboni
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bridler
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Olschewski
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kawohl
authors.forename: Wulf
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Rössler
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kleim
authors.forename: Patrick W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Corrigan
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010379:Peer Group; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011287:Prejudice; D012649:Self Concept; D057545:Social Stigma; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D014342:Truth Disclosure