Cross-Cultural Interventions for Reducing Mental Health Stigma

Eve Tibererwa

Humanities Education Kampala International University Uganda

Email eve.tibererwa@kiu.ac.ug

                                                                                                  ABSTRACT
Mental health stigma remains a pervasive global challenge that undermines help-seeking behaviors, social inclusion, and overall well-being. This paper examines cross-cultural interventions for reducing mental health stigma, emphasizing the role of cultural beliefs, social norms, and contextual realities in shaping both stigma and its mitigation. Drawing on existing literature, the study explores key intervention domains, including public education, contact-based strategies, media storytelling, environmental cues, and policy reforms. It highlights how culturally grounded misconceptions, often rooted in religious, spiritual, and traditional frameworks affect perceptions of mental illness and influence intervention outcomes. The paper further analyzes the effectiveness of interventions across diverse settings such as schools, workplaces, healthcare systems, and community organizations, with increasing attention to digital platforms. It identifies critical challenges in adapting interventions across cultures, including the need for cultural sensitivity, resource availability, and structural support. The study underscores the importance of rigorous evaluation methods that ensure cross-cultural validity and measurable outcomes. Finally, it highlights gaps in current research and calls for more context-specific, participatory, and interdisciplinary approaches to stigma reduction. The findings reinforce that culturally responsive, evidence-based interventions are essential for achieving sustainable reductions in mental health stigma globally.

Keywords: Mental health stigma, Cross-cultural interventions, Stigma reduction, Cultural beliefs and mental
health and Public health interventions.

CITE AS: Eve Tibererwa (2026). Cross-Cultural Interventions for Reducing Mental Health Stigma. NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CURRENT ISSUES IN ARTS AND MANAGEMENT, 7(1): 36-43. https://doi.org/10.59298/NIJCIAM/2025/71.3643