Table 3.
Description of Outcome Measures
| Measure | Number of Items |
Scoringa | Cronbach’s Alpha |
Example Items |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knowledge and Attitudes Measure | ||||
| Knowledge and Attitudesb | 21 | 1=strongly agree to | .78 | It would be embarrassing to have a mental illness. |
| 5=strongly disagree | People with a mental illness tend to be violent and dangerous. | |||
| Behavior and Behavioral Intentions Measures | ||||
| Stigma Awareness and Actiond | 8 | 1=occurred in past | .67 | I heard people use slang terms about mental illness like “psycho,” “crazy,” or “looney,” to put people down. |
| 2 weeks; 0=did not | ||||
| Avoidance and Discomfortd | 6 | 1=occurred in past | .63 | I avoided a person who said odd things and behaved in strange ways. |
| 2 weeks; 0=did not | ||||
| Social Distanceb | 6 | 1=definitely no to | .89 | |
| 4=definitely yes | ||||
| Social Distance Subscale (less acceptable forms)c | 3 | 1=definitely no to | .81 | Would it be okay with you to work on a class project with someone with mental illness? |
| 4=definitely yes | ||||
| Social Distance Subscale (more acceptable forms)c | 3 | 1=definitely no to | .72 | Would it be okay with you to have someone with mental illness as a neighbor? |
| 4=definitely yes | ||||
| Personal Help-Seeking Measure | ||||
| Personal willingness to seek help | 7 | 1=yes; 0=no | .78 | I would talk to my doctor if I were having a mental health problem. |
| Vignette-Based Measures | ||||
| Beliefs about vignette characters & their mental health conditions | 6 | 1=not at all likely to | n/a: Analyzed as separate items | Julia/David is in this situation because (s)he is just a bad person. |
| 4=very likely | ||||
| Julia/David is experiencing a mental illness. | ||||
| Julia’s/David’s situation will improve with treatment. | ||||
| Social distance from Vignette characters (combined overall score) | 8 | 1=definitely no to | .92 | Would it be ok with you to live next door to Julia/David? |
| 4=definitely yes | ||||
| Vignette help-seeking recommendations | 12 | 1=yes; 0=no | .75 | Should Julia/David talk to a doctor about her/his problem? |
a
All scales are scored such that a higher score indicates more of the named construct.
b
Adapted from Wahl et al.42
c
The social distance scale was divided into more and less acceptable forms of contact based on pre- and post-test means on social distance items; we use the overall scale as our primary outcome measure.
d
Scales combine attitude/awareness and behavioral items.