“I Was Worried That You Liked Me as a Girl”: The Efficacy of a Narrative-Based Online Course Aimed at Reducing Stigma Towards Transgender Children and Adolescents (Preprint)

Abstract

Stigma towards transgender children and adolescents contributes to significantly reduced health and educational outcomes compared to non-transgender individuals. Contact with a member of a stigmatized community can dismantle stereotypes and reduce stigma. Recent evidence suggests that video-based contact interventions can be as effective as face-to-face encounters. By allowing the audience to experience the cognitive and emotional perspectives of their protagonists, entertainment narratives are particularly suitable for anti-stigma interventions.

This study evaluates the impact of an online course, rooted in entertainment narratives, on participants’ attitudes towards transgender youth.

The online course was offered free of charge on Coursera and contained 19 teaching videos (3-7 minutes each), intermittent practice quizzes, and discussion prompts. Employing real voice recordings of transgender children and their caregivers, the videos were designed to elicit empathy and transmit knowledge. Most videos were animated and used a narrative format. 447 participants, distributed around the globe, completed pre- and post-course surveys. The survey contained five questions that captured participants’ levels of transgender stigma. Results of the pre- and post-course surveys were then compared.

A multivariate ordinal probit regression showed that participants were 7-34% (depending on the question) more likely to endorse statements that indicated the lowest levels of stigma after completing the course. The course was equally effective across all demographics represented in our participant population.

Our findings suggest that an online course, rooted in animated narratives, effectively reduced participants’ stigma towards transgender youth. The fact that the efficacy of the course was independent of demographic variables illustrates the potential versatility of the animated, narrative format. This study adds to the existing evidence that contact-based anti-stigma interventions can be as effective as face-to-face approaches. Virtual contact-based solutions may be an effective approach that is also easier to scale broadly to the general public.