26isfam120 10.3205/26isfam120 urn:nbn:de:0183-26isfam1204 Meeting Abstract Rabe Rabe Maren M

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

author Nenchev Nenchev Ivan I

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

author Röske Röske Thomas T

Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg

author Dannecker Dannecker Karin K

Weissensee Kunsthochschule Berlin

author Montag Montag Christiane C

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin

author German Medical Science GMS Publishing House

Düsseldorf

610 20260612 engl This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Dieser Artikel ist ein Open-Access-Artikel und steht unter den Lizenzbedingungen der Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (Namensnennung). M0652 120 International Society for Arts and Medicine The Healing Arts – Forging Alliances of Arts & Medicine Presentation Abstracts Berlin 20260618 20260620 26isfam120 TextBackground: Stigmatization of people with schizophrenia is pervasive, even among healthcare professionals, negatively impacting care quality and social inclusion. I developed an arts-based online study – doctoral research as parts of LIBIAS – to investigate whether engagement with artworks and associated mentalization processes can enhance empathy and reduce stigma. This aligns with WHO recommendations to integrate arts into health education to foster empathy and social cohesion.Goals: This cross-sectional observational study examines:whether labeling artworks as created by a patient versus a professional artist affects empathy and stigma (Experiment 1: “Label”), andwhether inducing perspective-taking through engagement with art enhances cognitive empathy compared to a psychopathology-focused approach (Experiment 2: “Perspective-Taking”). The study focuses on schizophrenia, a psychiatric area particularly affected by stigma.Methods: Participants (n = 512; 4×128) completed tasks directing attention either toward labels or perspective-taking. Experiment 1 tested labeling effects; Experiment 2 contrasted active perspective-taking versus psychopathology-focused evaluation. Cognitive empathy was measured using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). Data were analyzed using mixed linear models (effect size 0.50, power 80%, α = 0.05).Results: Preliminary analyses show that active perspective-taking significantly improves RMET performance relative to a psychopathology focus, while labeling produced smaller but measurable effects. The presentation will detail quantitative findings and their interpretation.Conclusion: These results suggest that arts-based, mentally engaging interventions can reduce stigma and enhance empathy among psychiatric professionals. Findings support broader integration of perspective-taking exercises in anti-stigma training and highlight potential for adaptation to other healthcare groups and public audiences. 0 0 0 0