Nicolas Rüsch, Vehbi Sakar, Christian Ruckes, Luise Nehf, Gerhard Libal, Isabel Böge, Nathalie Oexle, Michael Kempter, Sabine Müller, Michele Noterdaeme, Anna Samarelli, Patrick W. Corrigan, Nadine Mulfinger, Julia Djamali, and Sara Evans-Lacko
Background: Due to public stigma or self-stigma and shame, many adolescents with mental illness (MI) struggle with the decision whether to disclose their MI to others. Both disclosure and non-disclosure are associated with risks and benefits. Honest, Open, Proud (HOP) is a peer-led group program that supports participants with disclosure decisions in order to reduce stigma’s impact. Previously, HOP had only been evaluated among adults with MI. Methods: This two-arm pilot randomized controlled trial included 98 adolescents with MI. Participants were randomly assigned to HOP and treatment as usual (TAU) or to TAU alone. Outcomes were assessed pre (T0/baseline), post (T1/after the HOP program) and at 3-week follow-up (T2/six weeks after T0). Primary endpoints were stigma stress at T1 and quality of life at T2. Secondary outcomes included self-stigma, disclosure-related distress, empowerment, help-seeking intentions, recovery, and depressive symptoms. The trial is registered on ClinicalTrials (NCT02751229; http://www.clinicaltrials.gov). Results: Compared to TAU, adolescents in the HOP program showed significantly reduced stigma stress at T1 (d=0.92, p