Validation of a short instrument to measure stigmatised attitudes towards mental illness

Abstract

Aims and MethodOne of the steps to change stigmatised attitudes involves identifying the concerns of people whose attitude is to be changed. This paper presents the Attitudes to Mental Illness Questionnaire (AMIQ), a short instrument aimed at systematically obtaining this information, and examines the feasibility, test–retest reliability as well as face and construct validity of the AMIQ on the UK general public. A postal survey of a random sample of 1079 adults was conducted. A self-reported questionnaire with 5-point Likert scale responses was validated in response to short fictional vignettes. A second subsample of 256 was used for a reliability test.ResultsThe AMIQ is a short instrument with good psychometric properties. It shows good stability, test–retest reliability, alternative test reliability, face, construct and criterion validity. The self-selecting sample of 1079 UK adults showed highly stigmatised attitudes to people with addictive disorders but more positive attitudes to those with depression or self-harm. Results from a smaller follow-up sample showed that attitudes towards people with alcohol dependence and schizophrenia were intermediate.Clinical ImplicationsThe AMIQ can be used in various medical and mental health stigma research and intervention settings.

Effectiveness and confusion of the Time to Change anti-stigma campaign

“…= 0.10). 16 There was no statistically significant difference in scores (Mann-Whitney U-test two-sided P = 0.0367; power (for 5% significance) = 55%).…”

“…the Internalised Stigma of Mental Illness scale). 16,27 Although there were more female respondents, age and employment status of participants were reasonably matched to that from UK census surveys and the sample appears to be a reasonable cross-section of the British public. However, the sample was self-selecting and may not generalise across the whole population.…”

“…16,17 Respondents read a short vignette describing an imaginary patient and answered five questions relating to it (online supplement). The questions were scored on a 5-point Likert scale (maximum + 2, minimum72), with blank questions, 'neutral' and 'don't know' scoring zero.…”

“…The AMIQ has been shown to have good psychometric properties in a sample of over 800 members of the UK general public (one component accounted for 80.2% of the variance; test-retest reliability was P = 0.702; alternate testreliability v. Corrigan's attribution questionnaire was 0.704 (Spearman's Rho); Cronbach's a = 0.93). 16 …”

“…16,17,25 Other instruments are available, although they tend to be much longer, involve interviews or tend to address the experience of stigma by people with mental illness themselves (e.g. the Internalised Stigma of Mental Illness scale).…”