Using digital storytelling to understand service users' mental health recovery and address stigma among nursing students

Purpose: Stigmatized attitudes towards people with mental illness from healthcare providers continues to be a problem affecting recovery in people with mental illness. The process of recovery was explored through digital stories created by service users, with support from nursing students. Stigmatized attitudes in nursing students and stigma resistance in service users were also investigated. Design and methods: A quasi-experimental, mixed-methods, pilot study in which service users/nursing student teams created digital stories. Surveys testing stigmatized attitudes and stigma resistance were employed. Findings: Statistical significance was not found, however, qualitative analysis revealed recovery elements and greater appreciation of individuals with mental illness by the nursing students. Practice implications: Digital story-telling assists service users in doing the internal work of making meaning from experience. Nursing students benefit from involvement in the activity.