A Systematic Review of Interventions Designed to Change Social Bias Towards Individuals with Visible Facial Differences.

Objective: The objective of this review was to identify and evaluate evidence of the effectiveness of diverse interventions that aimed to reduce social bias towards visible facial differences. Methods: Ovid Medline, APA PsycINFO, Embase and PubMed online databases were used to identify eligible studies published between inception and December 2025. A narrative synthesis of the selected studies was performed. Results: Four studies met the inclusion criteria: three randomized controlled trials and one nonrandomized quasi-experimental study. Interventions included self-reflection, feedback, education, and direct or indirect contact, targeting conditions such as cleft lip and palate, psoriasis, facial paralysis, and facial disfigurement. Education-only interventions showed limited impact, whereas education combined with direct or narrative-based contact produced significant improvements in attitudes. Indirect contact through online narratives also demonstrated promising effects, suggesting scalable, media-delivered approaches can reduce bias. Conclusion: Findings highlight the limited effectiveness of education alone and the greater potential of contact-based strategies. These insights can inform the development of educational tools for healthcare, educational, and workplace contexts, supporting professionals who regularly interact with individuals with visible differences. Over time, such approaches could be integrated into wider disability awareness campaigns aimed at reducing stigma in the general population. Future research should assess the durability of these interventions and their impact on real-world behavior. Longitudinal studies and evaluations in everyday settings are needed to strengthen the evidence base and guide effective stigma-reduction practice.