Aspects of perceived stigma: the Stigma Inventory for Mental Illness, its development, latent structure and psychometric properties

Maria Veroniki Karidi; Despoina Vasilopoulou; Eugenia Savvidou; Silia Vitoratou; Andreas D Rabavilas; Constantinos N Stefanis

doi:10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.04.002

Aspects of perceived stigma: the Stigma Inventory for Mental Illness, its development, latent structure and psychometric properties

Compr Psychiatry. 2014 Oct;55(7):1620-5. doi: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.04.002. Epub 2014 Apr 26.

Authors

Maria Veroniki Karidi¹, Despoina Vasilopoulou², Eugenia Savvidou², Silia Vitoratou³, Andreas D Rabavilas², Constantinos N Stefanis²

Affiliations

¹ Psychosocial Vocational Rehabilitation Unit (PVRU). University Mental Health Research Institute (UMHRI), Athens, Greece. Electronic address: vkaridi@epipsi.gr.
² Psychosocial Vocational Rehabilitation Unit (PVRU). University Mental Health Research Institute (UMHRI), Athens, Greece.
³ Biostatistics Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, UK.

PMID: 24957956
DOI: 10.1016/j.comppsych.2014.04.002

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a new brief and easy to administer self-stigma scale for mental illness as well as to assess the correlations between self-stigma and psychopathology of chronic schizophrenic patients.

Methods: The Stigma Inventory for Mental Illness (SIMI) was administered to 100 outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Psychopathology and overall functioning were assessed with the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) and Global Assessment Scale (GAS), respectively.

Results: The final scale consists of 12 items. Factor analysis concluded to two dimensions: perceptions of social stigma and self-efficacy. Both factors were found to be reliable (high internal consistency and stability coefficients). Significant correlations were present with psychopathology, functioning and selected items from the Community Attitudes toward the Mentally Ill (CAMI) inventory.

Conclusion: The SIMI scale is a reliable and valid psychometric tool that can be used to assess patient's self-stigma and self-efficacy. The findings suggest also that psychopathology has an immediate effect on endorsing self-stigmatizing attitudes.

Publication types

Validation Study

MeSH terms

Adult
Aged
Attitude
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Perception*
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / statistics & numerical data*
Psychometrics
Schizophrenic Psychology*
Self Efficacy
Self-Assessment*
Social Stigma*
Young Adult