Innovative technology-based interventions to reduce stigma toward people with mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Matías E. Rodríguez-Rivas; Adolfo J. Cangas; Laura Cariola; Jorge J. Varela; Sara Valdebenito

doi:10.2196/35099

Innovative technology-based interventions to reduce stigma toward people with mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Matías E. Rodríguez-Rivas^*, Adolfo J. Cangas, Laura Cariola, Jorge J. Varela, Sara Valdebenito

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Background: Stigma toward people with mental illness presents serious consequences for the impacted individuals, such as social exclusion and increased difficulties in the recovery process. Recently, several interventions have been developed to mitigate public stigma, based on the use of innovative technologies, such as virtual reality and video games.
Objective: This review aims to systematically review, synthesize, measure, and critically discuss experimental studies that measure the effect of technological interventions on stigmatization levels.
Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines and included studies in English and Spanish published between 2016 and 2021. Searches were run in 5 different databases (ie, PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ScienceDirect). Only randomized controlled trials were included. Two independent reviewers determined the eligibility, extracted data, and rated methodological quality of the studies. Meta-analyses were performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.
Results: Based on the 1158 articles screened, 72 articles were evaluated as full text, of which 9 were included in the qualitative and quantitative syntheses. A diversity of interventions was observed, including video games, audiovisual simulation of hallucinations, virtual reality, and electronic contact with mental health services users. The meta-analysis (n=1832 participants) demonstrated that these interventions had a consistent medium effect on reducing the level of public stigma (d=–0.64; 95% CI 0.31-0.96; P<.001).
Conclusions: Innovative interventions involving the use of technologies are an effective tool in stigma reduction, therefore new challenges are proposed and discussed for the demonstration of their adaptability to different contexts and countries, thus leading to their massification.
Trial Registration: PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42021261935; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021261935

Original language	English
Article number	e35099
Number of pages	12
Journal	JMIR Serious Games
Volume	10
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.2196/35099
Publication status	Published - 30 May 2022

Keywords

stigma
mental illness
technology-based
serious games
virtual reality
e-contact
simulation intervention
internet intervention
meta-analysis

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@article{0ff9b3bd60f243569c9fea1ebfcabcba,

title = "Innovative technology-based interventions to reduce stigma toward people with mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis",

abstract = "Background: Stigma toward people with mental illness presents serious consequences for the impacted individuals, such as social exclusion and increased difficulties in the recovery process. Recently, several interventions have been developed to mitigate public stigma, based on the use of innovative technologies, such as virtual reality and video games.Objective: This review aims to systematically review, synthesize, measure, and critically discuss experimental studies that measure the effect of technological interventions on stigmatization levels.Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines and included studies in English and Spanish published between 2016 and 2021. Searches were run in 5 different databases (ie, PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ScienceDirect). Only randomized controlled trials were included. Two independent reviewers determined the eligibility, extracted data, and rated methodological quality of the studies. Meta-analyses were performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.Results: Based on the 1158 articles screened, 72 articles were evaluated as full text, of which 9 were included in the qualitative and quantitative syntheses. A diversity of interventions was observed, including video games, audiovisual simulation of hallucinations, virtual reality, and electronic contact with mental health services users. The meta-analysis (n=1832 participants) demonstrated that these interventions had a consistent medium effect on reducing the level of public stigma (d=–0.64; 95% CI 0.31-0.96; P<.001).Conclusions: Innovative interventions involving the use of technologies are an effective tool in stigma reduction, therefore new challenges are proposed and discussed for the demonstration of their adaptability to different contexts and countries, thus leading to their massification.Trial Registration: PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42021261935; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021261935",

keywords = "stigma, mental illness, technology-based, serious games, virtual reality, e-contact, simulation intervention, internet intervention, meta-analysis",

author = "Rodr{\'i}guez-Rivas, {Mat{\'i}as E.} and Cangas, {Adolfo J.} and Laura Cariola and Varela, {Jorge J.} and Sara Valdebenito",

note = "Funding Information: This publication is part of the project UAL2020-SEJ-D1912 financed by FEDER “A way to make Europe,” and by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID)/Scholarship Program/MAGISTER NACIONAL/2020–22200859. We thank the researchers who provided us with additional data on their studies. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright}Mat{\'i}as E Rodr{\'i}guez-Rivas, Adolfo J Cangas, Laura A Cariola, Jorge J Varela, Sara Valdebenito.",

year = "2022",

month = may,

day = "30",

doi = "10.2196/35099",

language = "English",

volume = "10",

journal = "JMIR Serious Games",

issn = "2291-9279",

publisher = "JMIR Publications Inc.",

number = "2",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Innovative technology-based interventions to reduce stigma toward people with mental illness

T2 - A systematic review and meta-analysis

AU - Rodríguez-Rivas, Matías E.

AU - Cangas, Adolfo J.

AU - Cariola, Laura

AU - Varela, Jorge J.

AU - Valdebenito, Sara

N1 - Funding Information: This publication is part of the project UAL2020-SEJ-D1912 financed by FEDER “A way to make Europe,” and by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID)/Scholarship Program/MAGISTER NACIONAL/2020–22200859. We thank the researchers who provided us with additional data on their studies. Publisher Copyright: ©Matías E Rodríguez-Rivas, Adolfo J Cangas, Laura A Cariola, Jorge J Varela, Sara Valdebenito.

PY - 2022/5/30

Y1 - 2022/5/30

N2 - Background: Stigma toward people with mental illness presents serious consequences for the impacted individuals, such as social exclusion and increased difficulties in the recovery process. Recently, several interventions have been developed to mitigate public stigma, based on the use of innovative technologies, such as virtual reality and video games.Objective: This review aims to systematically review, synthesize, measure, and critically discuss experimental studies that measure the effect of technological interventions on stigmatization levels.Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines and included studies in English and Spanish published between 2016 and 2021. Searches were run in 5 different databases (ie, PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ScienceDirect). Only randomized controlled trials were included. Two independent reviewers determined the eligibility, extracted data, and rated methodological quality of the studies. Meta-analyses were performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.Results: Based on the 1158 articles screened, 72 articles were evaluated as full text, of which 9 were included in the qualitative and quantitative syntheses. A diversity of interventions was observed, including video games, audiovisual simulation of hallucinations, virtual reality, and electronic contact with mental health services users. The meta-analysis (n=1832 participants) demonstrated that these interventions had a consistent medium effect on reducing the level of public stigma (d=–0.64; 95% CI 0.31-0.96; P<.001).Conclusions: Innovative interventions involving the use of technologies are an effective tool in stigma reduction, therefore new challenges are proposed and discussed for the demonstration of their adaptability to different contexts and countries, thus leading to their massification.Trial Registration: PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42021261935; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021261935

AB - Background: Stigma toward people with mental illness presents serious consequences for the impacted individuals, such as social exclusion and increased difficulties in the recovery process. Recently, several interventions have been developed to mitigate public stigma, based on the use of innovative technologies, such as virtual reality and video games.Objective: This review aims to systematically review, synthesize, measure, and critically discuss experimental studies that measure the effect of technological interventions on stigmatization levels.Methods: This systematic review and meta-analysis was based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines and included studies in English and Spanish published between 2016 and 2021. Searches were run in 5 different databases (ie, PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and ScienceDirect). Only randomized controlled trials were included. Two independent reviewers determined the eligibility, extracted data, and rated methodological quality of the studies. Meta-analyses were performed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software.Results: Based on the 1158 articles screened, 72 articles were evaluated as full text, of which 9 were included in the qualitative and quantitative syntheses. A diversity of interventions was observed, including video games, audiovisual simulation of hallucinations, virtual reality, and electronic contact with mental health services users. The meta-analysis (n=1832 participants) demonstrated that these interventions had a consistent medium effect on reducing the level of public stigma (d=–0.64; 95% CI 0.31-0.96; P<.001).Conclusions: Innovative interventions involving the use of technologies are an effective tool in stigma reduction, therefore new challenges are proposed and discussed for the demonstration of their adaptability to different contexts and countries, thus leading to their massification.Trial Registration: PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42021261935; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021261935

KW - stigma

KW - mental illness

KW - technology-based

KW - serious games

KW - virtual reality

KW - e-contact

KW - simulation intervention

KW - internet intervention

KW - meta-analysis

U2 - 10.2196/35099

DO - 10.2196/35099

M3 - Article

C2 - 35635744

VL - 10

JO - JMIR Serious Games

JF - JMIR Serious Games

SN - 2291-9279

IS - 2

M1 - e35099

ER -

Innovative technology-based interventions to reduce stigma toward people with mental illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis

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Keywords

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