The Wavelengths Study: A Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Effectiveness of a Codesigned Podcast on Mental Illness Stigma

Abstract

<p><i>On the Same Wavelength</i> is a codesigned podcast (Carrotte, 2023) featuring people with lived experience of complex mental health issues, who discuss how stigma and discrimination have affected their lives. This randomized controlled trial aimed to understand whether listening to the podcast could impact on listeners' attitudes toward people living with complex mental health issues. University students (<i>N</i> = 163) were randomized to listen to three episodes of <i>On the Same Wavelength</i> or a control podcast. Participants completed the Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill Scale (CAMI-27) and the Social Distance Scale at baseline, post experiment, and after a 4-week follow-up period, plus the State Empathy Scale immediately after listening to each episode. Linear mixed-effects models, adjusting for baseline scores and socially desirable response style, found more positive attitudes on the CAMI-27 Prejudice subscale for those who listened to <i>On the Same Wavelength</i> compared to control postexperiment (<i>t</i> = −2.47, <i>p</i> = .015), but this was not maintained at follow-up. There were no significant differences between groups for other CAMI-27 scores or the Social Distance Scale. Participants who listened to On the Same Wavelength experienced a significantly higher degree of empathy compared to control after Episode 2 (<i>t</i> = −1.99, <i>p</i> = .048) but not after listening to other episodes. Generalizability was limited by the university student sample, who demonstrated positive attitudes at baseline. <i>On the Same Wavelength</i> shows promise for improving short term prejudicial attitudes, though further research is needed to understand how podcast-based messaging could be more effective for longer term stigma reduction.</p>