The Contribution of Previous Contact and Personality Traits to Severe Mental Illness Stigma

A number of research studies document that less personal contact with those with a severe mental illness (SMI) is associated with greater SMI stigma, but a large proportion of the explanation for stigma remains unaccounted for. The purpose of this study was to replicate whether previous contact is associated with stigma and examine whether personality traits could account for stigma beyond previous contact. In this study, 605 college students completed measures of previous contact, personality traits, and three aspects of mental illness stigma. Less previous contact, lower openness to experience, and lower agreeableness were associated with one or more aspects of stigma. Hierarchical regression analyses supported that openness significantly accounted for mental illness stigma beyond the contribution of previous contact. These results are critical to better understanding how SMI stigma develops and who may be more likely to develop such attitudes.