Simulation with a standardised patient to reduce stigma towards people with schizophrenia spectrum disorder among nursing students: A quasi-experimental study

Objectives This study examined the effectiveness of simulation with a standardised patient on the perception of stigma associated with schizophrenia among undergraduate nursing students. It also assessed the reliability of the AQ-27 questionnaire in this context. Method A quasi-experimental study without a control group was conducted on a non-probabilistic sample. The simulation programme used a standardised patient portrayed by a nurse with mental health experience. Results After simulation, statistically significant stigma improvements were found in six out of nine dimensions; anger and help obtained larger effect sizes (r = 0.392 and 0,307, respectively). Regarding gender, the intragroup analysis revealed that simulation improved stigma among women in six dimensions and among men in four dimensions, with anger and fear showing the highest effect size (r = 0.414 and 0.446, respectively).Regarding previous contact with mental illness among the study participants, the intergroup analysis did not show differences. In the intragroup analysis, simulation improved fear only in the contact group (p = 0,040, r = 0.353). In contrast, simulation changed the response in six dimensions in the no-contact group, similar to the entire group. Conclusion Simulation with a standardised patient is an effective teaching tool for reducing the stigmatisation of people with schizophrenia, thus reducing people's perception of internal causal attribution. It allows for experiencing situations that may be anticipated in clinical practice and reflectively addressing emerging aspects during simulation.