Clinicians' attitudes to evolutionary versus genetic explanations for anxiety: cluster-randomised study of stigmatisation

The authors aimed to investigate whether an educational intervention presenting evolutionary explanations for anxiety, as opposed to genetic explanations, would positively influence mental health clinicians' attitudes and reduce stigma. The study found that clinicians rated evolutionary explanations as significantly more useful, leading to increased optimism about patient recovery and greater anticipated public willingness to seek help and share diagnoses. Overall, framing anxiety through an evolutionary lens improved clinicians' attitudes regarding stigma compared to genetic explanations.