title: Changes in depression stigma after the Germanwings crash - Findings from German population surveys.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Media coverage of the Germanwings plane crash intensely focused on the co-pilot's mental illness and was criticized for potentially increasing depression stigma. We explored whether stigma beliefs towards persons with depression changed in April 2015 (about one month after the crash) compared to 2014.
  
  
  METHODS
  Telephone surveys among the adult population were conducted in Munich, Germany (N=650 in 2014 and N=601 in 2015). In both surveys, four components of stigma were assessed: (1) characteristics ascribed to persons with a depression, (2) belief in a continuum of symptoms from mental health to mental illness, (3) emotional reactions to people afflicted by depression (fear, anger, and pro-social reactions), and (4) desire for social distance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Some stigmatizing attitudes have increased after the crash. More specifically, we found more pronounced changes in the attributes ascribed (stereotypes) and in the perceived separation from persons afflicted (continuum beliefs) than in the emotional reactions and the desire for social distance. However, overall increase in depression stigma was smaller than expected as changes were not statistically significant in the majority of the analyzed items.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Due to the study design no causal interpretation of results is possible. Moreover, evidence presented is confined to a regional German sample.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A single devastating event and related media coverage seem to have a limited impact on public stigmatizing attitudes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: o.knesebeck@uke.de.
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: von dem Knesebeck
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mnich
authors.affiliation: Center for Public Mental Health, Untere Zeile 13, 3482 Gösing am Wagram, Austria and Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Matthias C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Angermeyer
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kofahl
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistr. 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Makowski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000401:Aircraft; D000786:Anger; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D004190:Disasters; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012929:Psychological Distance; D011639:Public Opinion; D057545:Social Stigma; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Depression; Media coverage; Plane crash; Stigma