A short version of the Opening Minds Scale–Workplace Attitudes: Factor structure and factorial validity in a sample of Canadian public safety personnel.

Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science / Revue canadienne des sciences du comportement, Vol 56(2), Apr 2024, 157-162; doi:10.1037/cbs0000350Public safety personnel (PSP) are frequently exposed to potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTE). Frequent exposure to PPTE is associated with a high prevalence of mental health symptom reporting among PSP, and stigma is associated with lower rates of intended mental health service use for PSP. A valid and expedient measure of stigma could provide mental health professionals with an instrument that could potentially improve mental health outcomes. The Opening Minds Scale–Workplace Attitudes (OMS-WA) is a commonly used self-report measure of stigma that has yet to be psychometrically validated. The present study was designed to assess the factor structure and factorial validity of a short version of the OMS-WA in PSP. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on an 11-item version of the OMS-WA in a sample of Canadian PSP (n = 2,081), followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with a second sample of Canadian PSP (n = 2,088). The EFA results suggested a nine-item, two-factor model for the OMS-WA. The identified factors were Attitudes Predicting Avoidance and Beliefs About Danger/Unpredictability. Nine of the 11 items produced salient loadings on the two factors. Internal consistency was good for the nine-item total scale, excellent for the first factor, and acceptable for the second factor. CFA supported a nine-i...
Source: Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research