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The Revised Attribution Questionnaire (r-AQ) measures mental illness stigma. This study's purpose is to evaluate the factor structure of the (r-AQ) and examine the validity of the factor structure in adolescents. A convenience sample (n 5 210) of adolescents completed the r-AQ and these data were used in exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). The EFA established a five item single factor structure, which we called the modified r-AQ and captures the negative emotional reactions to people with mental illness, a domain of mental illness stigma. The CFA established the validity of the factor structure (x2 5 2.4, df 5 4, p 5 .659, TLI 5 1.042, CFI 5 1.00, RMSEA 5 .000). Internal consistency reliability for the scale was acceptable (a 5 .70). The modified r-AQ is a reliable and valid measure of the emotional reaction to people with mental illness.
Keywords: stigma; psychometric; adolescents; exploratory factor analysis; confirmatory factor analysis; mental disorder
Mental illness stigma is a critical barrier to mental health treatment access and the activation of mental health self-management behavior. Specifically, the reduction of mental illness stigma has been identified as a priority area for adolescents by the Institute of Medicine, President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, and U.S. Surgeon General. In response to this pervasive problem, these national groups have recommended the implementation of anti-stigma interventions for adolescents in community settings. However, before evidence based anti-stigma interventions can be implemented and evaluated with confidence, it is essential to establish the reliability and validity of instruments that measure mental illness stigma among adolescents. Thus, the purposes of this research are to evaluate the factor structure of the Revised Attribution Questionnaire (r-AQ) (Watson et al., 2004) and examine the validity of the factor structure in adolescents.
BACKgRouND
Untreated mental illness during adolescence carries severe and long-lasting consequences that extend into adulthood. Specifically, adolescents with untreated mental illness have lower academic achievement, higher rates of suicide, more unintended pregnancies, lower levels of functioning, and they are more likely, than adolescents without mental illness, to use substances like tobacco, alcohol, and drugs (Kuehn, 2005; McCarty et al., 2008). The onset of mental illness during adolescence is associated with physical problems, such as difficulty maintaining a healthy body weight, increased susceptibility to...