Does recovery reduce stigma? Icelanders’ attitudes toward individuals experiencing Schizophrenia and addiction

Abstract Public stigma toward individuals with mental illness and addiction remains a major barrier to treatment, recovery, and social integration. While previous studies have documented widespread negative attitudes, less is known about the role of recovery narratives in shaping stigma. This study draws on the 2025 Icelandic Stigma Study to examine whether descriptions of recovery reduce preferred social distance from individuals experiencing schizophrenia, alcohol addiction, or heroin addiction. Data were collected using a nationally representative online panel (N = 1755). Respondents were randomly assigned to vignettes describing a character with one of the three conditions, with or without an added description of recovery. Preferred social distance was measured using a scale of eight items, and responses were analyzed with OLS regression models controlling for vignette characteristics and respondent demographics. Results show that descriptions of recovery significantly reduced preferred social distance across all conditions. The effect was strongest for alcohol addiction (33% reduction), followed by heroin addiction (23%) and schizophrenia (8%). Recovery narratives also reversed the relative ordering of conditions: while alcohol addiction was initially more stigmatized than schizophrenia, individuals in recovery from alcohol addiction were viewed more positively than those in recovery from schizophrenia. Female vignette characters elicited less social distance, while respondent characteristics had limited and inconsistent effects. The findings highlight the importance of recovery-oriented narratives in reducing stigma, particularly for addiction. Public campaigns that emphasize successful treatment and recovery may be especially effective in contexts such as Iceland, though condition-specific tailoring remains crucial.