Childhood interventions to reduce stigma towards peers with disabilities and chronic health conditions: a systematic review

Stigma is a problem for children with a wide range of disabilities and chronic health conditions including epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, and mental health problems (e.g. ADHD). When stigma occurs, it has particular significance for a child¿s psychological wellbeing and development.  Evidence that stigmatizing attitudes develop early in life make it imperative that interventions for school-age children are developed to prevent or reduce stigma.  While several interventions exist, most focus on single stigmatized conditions rather than attempting a broader focus on acceptance of peers who are different. The primary goal of the review is to present an evidence-based analysis of anti-stigma interventions.  Method:  Population: Children and adolescents (6-18 years). Intervention: Interventions must aim to change the study population¿s attitudes or behaviour towards individuals who are disabled or who have chronic health conditions.  Search strategy: (i) Searches of: PsycINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, Medline; (ii) checking references at the end relevant articles; and (iii) using Social Science Citation Index and Google Scholar to find articles that cite key references.  Conclusions: Conclusions will focus on the transfer of learning from well-developed interventions regarding health conditions, to health conditions for which few anti-stigma interventions currently exist. Age appropriateness of interventions will be a particular focus.