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

Abstract

On the Same Wavelength 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 (N = 163) were randomized to listen to three episodes of On the Same Wavelength or a control podcast. Participants completed the Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill Scale (CAMI-27) and the Social Distance Scale at baseline, postexperiment, and after a 4-week follow-up period, plus the St..