The generalised anxiety stigma scale (GASS): psychometric properties in a community sample

BMC Psychiatry

Research Article

Alison Parsons¹  Philip J Batterham¹  Kathleen M Griffiths²  Lisa Barney² 

[1] Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University, Acton, Canberra, ACT, Australia;Depression & Anxiety Consumer Research Unit, Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University, Acton, Canberra, ACT, Australia;

关键词: Mental Illness;    Anxiety Disorder;    Social Distance;    Generalise Anxiety Disorder;    Mental Health Research;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-244X-11-184

 received in 2011-06-15, accepted in 2011-11-22,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAlthough there is substantial concern about negative attitudes to mental illness, little is known about the stigma associated with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) or its measurement. The aim of this study was to develop a multi-item measure of Generalised Anxiety Disorder stigma (the GASS).MethodsStigma items were developed from a thematic analysis of web-based text about the stigma associated with GAD. Six hundred and seventeen members of the public completed a survey comprising the resulting 20 stigma items and measures designed to evaluate construct validity. Follow-up data were collected for a subset of the participants (n = 212).ResultsThe factor structure comprised two components: Personal Stigma (views about Generalised Anxiety Disorder); and Perceived Stigma (views about the beliefs of most others in the community). There was evidence of good construct validity and reliability for each of the Generalised Anxiety Stigma Scale (GASS) subscales.ConclusionsThe GASS is a promising brief measure of the stigma associated with Generalised Anxiety Disorder.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Griffiths et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011