Validation of the Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC): Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Brazilian Version

Abstract

Stigma towards people with mental illness is also present among health professionals. The study validated and estimated the reliability, dimensionality and structure of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC) scale in Brazil. In this methodological study, health professionals (n = 199) from Family Health Units in Brazil were recruited by convenience sampling. The EFA conducted with 16 items resulted in four factors. The Cronbach’s Alpha for the OMS scale was 0.74, which is considered to reflect reasonable reliability. The data presented contribute to the use of the scale in studies that investigate the level of stigma among health professionals towards people with mental illness, as well as in the development of anti-stigma interventions in this context.