Prescription drug advertising and consumer stigma about depression: The moderating role of skepticism toward advertising

AbstractThe current study was designed to explore how consumers’ exposure to direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) of antidepressants would relate to the extent of stigma they hold toward clinical depression, and how such an association would be moderated by the level of skeptical attitudes toward the advertising category. The results showed that when skepticism was low, exposure to DTCA of antidepressants was positively associated with the extent of stigma toward depression. A negative relationship between DTCA exposure and endorsement of stigma was observed only when the level of skepticism was extremely high. In an exploratory analysis, the study further found that among individuals with personal and interpersonal experiences of depression, DTCA exposure might strengthen depression stigma, while such a relationship was not observed among those with a lower level of depression-related life experiences. This study concluded by discussing the implications of the findings for health professionals as well a...