Altering the Landscape of Mental Illness Stigma on University Campuses

We examine mental illness stigma in a university context using well-established measures of public stigma. We compare our results to those found in cross-national adult samples. We also examine whether public mental illness stigma differs by students' diagnosis status or acts as a deterrent to treatment-seeking. Findings indicate the students in our sample hold relatively low levels of endorsement for most common public stigma components, but the public stigma components they endorse reflect the global core of public prejudice associated with mental illness. Endorsement differences by diagnosis status are also found. Additionally, associations are found between public stigma and treatment use in the form of exclusionary sentiments, perceived danger to others, and traditional prejudice. We conclude universities have the potential to serve as an innovative context of change related to mental illness stigma, and we offer suggestions for addressing stigma on university campuses.