Objective : Attitudes toward mental difficulties are influenced by culture, and different cultural backgrounds have different effects on peo
Objective : Attitudes toward mental difficulties are influenced by culture, and different cultural backgrounds have different effects on people's behavior. This study aimed to prepare the Arabic version of the Peer Mental Health Stigmatization Scale (PMHSS) and validate it among Omani adolescents. Method : The study was conducted from October 2020 to the end of February 2021. The 24-items PMHSS was translated into Arabic and tested in a sample of 369 adolescents from different governmental schools in Oman. Both exploratory factor analysis (a principal component analysis (PCA) technique with Varimax rotation) and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to examine the construct validity of the PMHSS. Results : Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine the construct validity of the PMHSS. Cronbach’s α was 0.86 for the total scale and 0.84 and 0.81 for awareness and agreement, respectively. Therefore, the goodness-of fit-indicators support the two-correlated factor 16-item model to measure stigma (χ2 / df = 2.64 (p > 0.001), GFI = 0.92, AGFI = 0.89, CFI = 0.90, IFI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.067). Conclusion : The Arabic version of the Peer Mental Health Stigmatization Scale (PMHSS) could assess adolescents’ stigmatizing attitudes toward various types of mental health problems within the Arabic context, and it can be utilized by researchers in Arab countries to screen for stigmatizing attitudes and to suggest suitable, effective, and outcome-focused interventions based on its results.
Kristianstad University, Faculty of Health Science, Högskolan Kristianstad, Fakulteten för hälsovetenskap, Originator, Kristianstad University, Faculty of Health Science, Patient Reported Outcomes - Clinical Assessment Research and Education (PROCARE), Högskolan Kristianstad, Fakulteten för hälsovetenskap, Patient Reported Outcomes - Clinical Assessment Research and Education (PROCARE), Originator, Kristianstad University, Faculty of Health Science, Department of Nursing and Integrated Health Sciences, Högskolan Kristianstad, Fakulteten för hälsovetenskap, Avdelningen för sjuksköterskeutbildningarna och integrerad hälsovetenskap, Originator