Mitigating the stigma of mental illness among older adults living with depression: The benefit of contact with a peer educator.

Stigma continues to be one of the most significant deterrents to professional mental health service utilization. Given the proliferation of older adults who will require mental health services in their lifetime, innovative strategies to mitigate the impact of stigma as a barrier to mental health services are necessary. Contact with other individuals who share a stigmatized condition may be a promising approach to targeting and reducing stigma. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the impact of contact with a peer educator (PE; i.e., individuals from similar age, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds who have been previously treated for depression and are trained to provide support and education to acutely depressed individuals within their community) on perceived public stigma and internalized stigma in a sample of older adults living with depression. Participants (N = 21) aged 60 years and older completed a demographic questionnaire as well as public stigma and internalized stigma measures pre- and postcontact with their assigned PE. Results indicated that contact with a PE significantly reduced public and internalized stigma among depressed older adults. Furthermore, older adults who had 4 or more contacts with a PE had a greater reduction in internalized stigma. The present study offers preliminary evidence that suggests that a peer-led support intervention is feasible and acceptable to the older adult population and that contact with a PE can potentially reduce the levels of perceived public and internalized stigma within a sample of depressed older adults.