North America

Stigma Associated with a High-Risk State for Psychosis R01 (5/22/12- 3/31/19)

This proposal examines stigma experiences among a Clinical High Risk State for Psychosis (CHR) group (n=196) at initial CHR identification and then at 6 month follow-up. We also examine the neurocognitive and social cognitive underpinnings of stigma perceptions in the HRP group. We examine how stigma and its social cognitive bases in the CHR group may adversely impact psychological, social, and developmental outcomes among CHR individuals.

Principal Investigator:Lawrence Yang

Stigma Intervention for Youth at Clinical High-Risk State for Psychosis (10/1/15- 9/30/16)

This proposal will pilot-test a brief, 8-session intervention to provide psychoeducation and anti-stigma intervention to youth at clinical high-risk state for psychosis (CHR) in New York City. If successful, this flexible intervention may be exported to other CHR intervention sites in the U.S. to facilitate early CHR intervention.

Principal Investigator:Lawrence Yang

The Neuroscience of Stigma: Neural Correlates of Transition to Psychosis among the Clinical High Risk State for Psychosis (7/1/16-6/31/17)

This proposal tests two cognitive neuroscience paradigms to identify behavioral and neural correlates underlying stigma’s effects upon cognitive processes that may be predictive of transition to psychosis in CHR.

Principal Investigator:Lawrence Yang

Geriatric Depression in Chinese Americans (ongoing)

This collaboration, with Peter Na, aims to train a peer and clinician to deliver an eight-week anti-stigma intervention among a sample of elderly Chinese individuals experiencing depression in NYC. Pre and post interviews conducted with participants will allow for measurement of the intervention’s success in reducing stigma, among this high-risk population.

Principal Investigator: Peter Na, Lawrence Yang

South America

What Matters Most: Chile (ongoing)

The intent of this project is to interview those with mental illness, relatives, and members of the community to identify “What Matters Most.” These semi-structured interviews are being qualitatively coded in order to identify WMM specific to Chilean society. The end goal of this project is to create a culturally-specific stigma scale.

Principal Investigator:Lawrence Yang

Asia

Randomized controlled trial of Enhancing Contact Model on reducing stigma of mental illness in family caregivers of persons with schizophrenia in rural China (1/19- 1/21)

This study is an RCT exploring the effectiveness of the newly developed Enhancing Contact Model (ECM) in reducing mental illness stigma and other outcomes in primary health professionals. The ECM, which is based on contact theory and our prior interventions for Chinese primary health professionals, innovatively combines two interventions: single primary health professional intervention and group primary health professional intervention. 

Understanding the relationships among primary health professionals’ self-stigma and other psychosocial and service variables during the recovery of persons with mental illness will contribute to the further development of holistic ECM interventions.

Principal Investigator: Ran MS