Development and validity of the Value-based Stigma Inventory (VASI): a value-sensitive questionnaire for the assessment of mental health stigma

Abstract

Background It has been hypothesized that mental illness stigma differs according to what matters most to people, and that this results in value-based differences in stigma within societies. However, there is a lack of stigma measures that account for a broad range of values, including modern and liberal values. Methods For the development of the Value-based Stigma Inventory (VASI) a preliminary item-pool of 68 VASI-items was assembled by mental health and stigma experts. For psychometric evaluation, we tested the VASI in an online sample of the general population (n = 4983). Results Based on item-characteristics as well as explorative and confirmatory factor analyses, a final version of the VASI was developed, comprising 15 items and 5 subscales. The VASI shows good psychometric properties (item difficulty = 0.34 to 0.67; mean inter-item correlation r = 0.326; Cronbach’s α = 0.879). Medium to high correlations with established stigma scales (SDS, SSMI), medium associations with instruments assessing personal values (PVQ, KSA-3) and small to no associations with a social desirability scale (KSE-G) attest to good convergent and discriminatory validity of the new instrument. Normative values for the VASI subscales are presented. Conclusions The developed VASI can be used to assess public stigma of mental illness including personal stigma-relevant value orientations.

Stigma and public attitudes toward euthanasia or assisted suicide for psychiatric conditions: results from a general population survey in Germany

“…In fact, in a validation study using a large online sample, the VASI was correlated with both agreement with negative stereotypes and the desire for social distance. 15 However, the VASI is uniquely specific with regard to values and preferences that may conflict with dealing with someone with mental illness, and thus provides us with new insights into potential motives behind stigmatising attitudes and their relationship to EAS, as we will discuss below. Third, we examined correlations and not causality.…”

“…We assessed stigma with the Value-Based Stigma Inventory (VASI). 15 The VASI comprises 15 items assessing to what extent respondents perceive dealing with someone with mental illness as interfering with their personal priorities or values. In our sample, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of the entire scale was 0.85.…”

“…The VASI has been shown to be correlated with the desire for social distance (Social Distance Scale; 18 , 19 r = 0.68) and with agreement with negative stereotypes about someone with mental illness (Self-Stigma of Mental Illness Scale, 20 subscale ‘stereotype endorsement’; r = 0.67). 15 All items were answered on five-point Likert-type scales from 1 (agree completely) to 5 (do not agree at all). Except for the items on personal growth, all scores were reversed, so that higher scores consistently reflect stronger stigmatising attitudes.…”

“…Liberal values have been somewhat underresearched in this respect. 13 Using a stigma scale that captures rejection in the context of a broad range of value orientations, 15 our aim is to find out whether approval of psychiatric EAS is related to rejection of people with mental illness in general, and to what extent approval of psychiatric EAS is linked to rejection specifically for different value orientations.…”