Stig-9
is a free and open source self-report questionnaire to measure ''perceived mental illness stigma''. It assesses the extent to which respondents expect negative societal beliefs, feelings, and behaviors towards people who are supposed to have a
mental disorder
A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...
.
The construct
Perceived mental illness stigma is a psychological construct. It is a key component of the
modified labeling theory. According to this theory, negative societal beliefs about people with mental disorders are part of western culture (e.g. people with mental disorders are seen as being less trustworthy, weak, less intelligent, and dangerous). As a product of socialization, individuals familiarize themselves with these beliefs, and - to a certain degree - expect negative attitudes, feelings and behaviors towards people with mental disorders (for example rejection when applying for a job, or reluctance to enter into a close relationship).
The questionnaire
The Stig-9 questionnaire consists of nine items and one example item. On a four-point Likert scale, respondents indicate the degree to which they expect negative societal beliefs, feelings, and behaviors towards someone who has been treated for a mental disorder. Response categories are:
* disagree
* somewhat disagree
* somewhat agree
* agree
The item responses are summarized in a sum score (range 0-27 points). "High scores on Stig-9 correspond with high expectations of negative societal beliefs, feelings, and behaviors towards 'mentally ill' people."
Psychometric properties
The psychometric properties were analyzed in a study conducted at the
University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
The University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (german: Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE)) is the teaching hospital of the University of Hamburg and the largest hospital in Hamburg, Germany.
The UKE has 1,738 beds and 121 day-care pl ...
in Germany.
The authors surveyed a large clinical sample of approximately 1,000 patients at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy. They found excellent item- and scale characteristics, high
internal consistency
In statistics and research, internal consistency is typically a measure based on the correlations between different items on the same test (or the same subscale on a larger test). It measures whether several items that propose to measure the same g ...
, and evidence for
validity
Validity or Valid may refer to:
Science/mathematics/statistics:
* Validity (logic), a property of a logical argument
* Scientific:
** Internal validity, the validity of causal inferences within scientific studies, usually based on experiments
** ...
. In addition, they determined reference scores for the study population. Currently, a manuscript that describes the development and psychometric evaluation of Stig-9 is under review for publication in a scientific journal.
Languages
To date, a German and an English version exist.
License
Stig-9 is licensed under the terms of
Creative Commons
Creative Commons (CC) is an American non-profit organization and international network devoted to educational access and expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has release ...
BY 3.0 Unported License. Therefore, everybody is free to use, copy, and modify the questionnaire as long as the authors are cited.
References
{{Reflist
Social stigma
Mental disorders screening and assessment tools
Stereotypes
Labeling theory