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Completed

NCT Number: NCT06705205

Short, Animated Storytelling (SAS) for Addiction Stigma Reduction

Stigma towards people with addiction is a well-documented problem that negatively impacts help-seeking, treatment and recovery. Social contact with people recovering from addiction can promote empathy and reduce stigma, but social contact is difficult to scale. Short, animated storytelling (SAS) is a novel health communication approach that scales easily because it can leapfrog barriers associated with language, culture, literacy and education levels. This study will investigate if a SAS video intervention can be used to reduce stigma, boost optimism and hope, and increasing empathy towards people with addiction. The study will also explore mechanisms of action of SAS interventions, by measuring the contribution of sound design to the effect of the intervention.

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Key information

Conditions

Social Stigma Towards People With Addiction

Age range

18 year–49 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Stanford University

Stanford, California, 95305, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Adults with basic English proficiency between the ages of 18-49

Exclusion criteria

  • None

Treatment and study plan

SAS video

Other

The intervention is a short, animated storytelling video, with soundtrack, aimed at reducing addiction stigma.

Other names: short animated storytelling video

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in Addiction Stigma Scale Score as measured by the Attribution Questionnaire (AQ)

    Time frame: Immediately post-intervention on Day 1 and after two weeks

    Participants complete an 18-item shortened version of the validated AQ. The AQ-18 will be scored along a 9-point Likert scale indicating the extent to which participants agree with the item ranging from "not at all" to "very much" with a maximum score of 27 for each 3-item construct. Higher scores indicate greater stigma.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Change in Optimism Scale Score

    Time frame: Immediately post-intervention on Day 1 and after two weeks

    Participants complete the Brief García's Interactive Optimism Scale (BIOS-G). The BIOS-G is an instrument designed to assess an individual's level of general optimism towards their life and other people. The scale includes 4 statements for which respondents indicate their level of agreement from 1 ("Of course not") to 4 ("Yes, of course"). Higher scores indicate a greater level of optimism.

  2. Change in Attitude Thermometer Score

    Time frame: Immediately post-intervention on Day 1 and after two weeks

    Participants will indicate their warmth towards subject using a self-report stigma thermometer. Using a scale scores from zero to 100, with higher scores indicating more empathy or more favorable attitudes.

  3. Change in Levels of Hope using a visual analogue scale (VAS)

    Time frame: Immediately post-intervention on Day 1 and after two weeks

    Participants self-report levels of hope using a VAS, a longstanding, validated tool for assessing related constructs of stress and subjective well-being. The scale goes from zero to 100 and higher scores indicate higher levels of hope.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Stanford University

Other

Collaborators

  • Alexander von Humboldt Association
  • Stanford Center for Digital Health

Registry information

Official study title

Short, Animated Storytelling Video to Reduce Addiction Stigma: Protocol for a Multi-country, Online, Randomized, Controlled Trial With 13,500 Participants

Acronym: SAS

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Nov 26, 2024
Registry last updated
Sep 3, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.