Improving knowledge about childhood mental health issues, reducing stigma, and encouraging appropriate treatment-seeking are important goals for public health. This study examined the effect of treatment and malleability information on stigmatisation towards children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) and their parents, and on endorsements of causal beliefs. In an experimental study, university students (N = 234) were randomly allocated to receive/not receive treatment information (information on the existence and effectiveness of treatment for ODD) and to receive/not receive malleability information (information emphasising brain malleability and the potential to change). Participants then rated four measures of stigma towards a fictitious child with ODD and mother (blame, incompetence, dangerousness, and social distance), and rated their endorsements of causal explanations for ODD. Neither treatment nor malleability information had significant effects on stigmatisation towards either the child or mother. However, this information did impact upon causal beliefs about ODD as stemming from biological or mixed biological/environmental causes. Implications for the future development of public health initiatives and stigma research on childhood mental health are discussed.

中文翻译：

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“可治疗和可改变”：治疗和延展性信息对有行为问题的儿童及其父母的污名的影响

提高对儿童心理健康问题的认识、减少污名化和鼓励适当的治疗是公共卫生的重要目标。本研究检验了治疗和延展性信息对对立性违抗障碍 (ODD) 儿童及其父母的污名化以及对因果信念的​​认可的影响。在一项实验研究中，大学生（ñ= 234）被随机分配接受/不接受治疗信息（关于 ODD 治疗的存在和有效性的信息）和接受/不接受延展性信息（强调大脑延展性和改变潜力的信息）。然后，参与者对一个有奇数和母亲的虚构儿童（责备、无能、危险和社会距离）进行了四种耻辱评估，并评估了他们对奇数因果解释的认可。治疗和延展性信息对孩子或母亲的污名化都没有显着影响。然而，这些信息确实影响了关于 ODD 的因果信念，因为它源于生物或混合生物/环境原因。