Concrete or Abstract? The Effects of Picture Concreteness and Mental Illness Prevalence on Destigmatizing Mental Illnesses

AbstractThis study investigated how picture concreteness (cartoon versus photo) and mental illness prevalence level (high versus low) in mental health messages influence mental illness stigma via a within-subjects online experiment (N = 92). Findings revealed that compared to cartoons, photos elicited greater empathic closeness, decreased social distancing intention (especially for the low-prevalence mental illnesses schizophrenia and bipolar disorder), and increased intention to support mental health policies. Compared to photos, cartoons increased comprehension (especially for the high-prevalence mental illnesses depression and anxiety) and reduced personal responsibility for mental illness. Messages about high prevalence mental illnesses compared to low prevalence mental illnesses elicited more empathic closeness, lower social distancing intention, and higher message dissemination intention. (113 words)DisclaimerAs a service to authors and researchers we are providing this version of an accepted manuscript (AM). Copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proofs will be undertaken on this manuscript before final publication of the Version of Record (VoR). During production and pre-press, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal relate to these versions also. Additional informationNotes on contributorsRoma SubramanianRoma Subramanian (Ph.D., Journalism, University of Missouri) is an assistant professor in the School of Communication at the University of Nebraska Omaha. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the university’s medical humanities program and the Goldstein Center for Human Rights. In 2021, she was inducted into the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC)’s Interprofessional Academy of Educators. She currently serves as secretary for the Communicating Science, Health, Environment, & Risk (ComSHER) division of the Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication (AEJMC). Her research and teaching focus on health communication, particularly regarding stigmatized issues (e.g., mental illness, sexual abuse). Other areas of interest include the impact of social and mobile media on health, the dynamics of patient-physician communication, and the intersection between art and health. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Health Communication, Health Education & Behavior, the Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine, and Critical Public Health.Sungkyoung LeeSungkyoung Lee is an Associate Professor of Strategic Communications at the Missouri School of Journalism. Her research program addresses the mediated message design and testing for effective strategic communication in the domains of health and science communications, focusing on audience information processing mechanisms to explain the message effects: the message features and content eliciting automatic resource allocation (attention), and how these features and content affect audience attitude and intention related to health behavior and scientific knowledge.Jonathan B. SantoJonathan Santo is a professor of psychology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He serves as director of the graduate Developmental Psychology program and associate director of the Office of Latino/Latin-American Studies. Most of his research focuses on the impact of peer relations on child and adolescent development, with emphasis on the importance of friendships as a source of social support. Santo also studies cultural differences in factors related to self-esteem as well as classroom-level influences. Ultimately, his research is aimed at improving the lives of children and adolescents by fostering supportive school environments and encouraging positive peer relationships.Shinobu Watanabe-GallowayDr. Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway is a professor in Department of Epidemiology at University of Nebraska Medical Center. Her research focus areas include mobile app interventions and colorectal cancer screening interventions.