A Short Version of the Opening Minds Scale-Workplace Attitudes: Factor Structure and Factorial Validity in a Sample of Canadian Public Safety Personnel

Public safety personnel (PSP) are frequently exposed to potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTE). Frequent exposure to PPTE is associated with a high prevalence of mental health symptom reporting among PSP, and stigma is associated with lower rates of intended mental health service use for PSP. A valid and expedient measure of stigma could provide mental health professionals with an instrument that could potentially improve mental health outcomes. The Opening Minds Scale-Workplace Attitudes (OMS-WA) is a commonly used self-report measure of stigma that has yet to be psychometrically validated. The present study was designed to assess the factor structure and factorial validity of a short version of the OMS-WA in PSP. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on an 11-item version of the OMS-WA in a sample of Canadian PSP (n = 2,081), followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with a second sample of Canadian PSP (n = 2,088). The EFA results suggested a nine-item, two-factor model for the OMS-WA. The identified factors were Attitudes Predicting Avoidance and Beliefs About Danger/Unpredictability. Nine of the 11 items produced salient loadings on the two factors. Internal consistency was good for the nine-item total scale, excellent for the first factor, and acceptable for the second factor. CFA supported a nine-item, two-factor model of a short version of the OMS-WA. The current results provide evidence of factor validity for a nine-item questionnaire for quick screening of stigmatizing attitudes towards coworkers with mental health conditions in PSP. Le personnel affecté à la sécurité publique (PSP) est souvent exposé à des situations potentiellement traumatisantes sur le plan psychologique. L'exposition fréquente à des événements traumatisants est associée à une prévalence élevée de symptômes de problèmes de santé mentale parmi le PSP, et la stigmatisation est associée à des niveaux inférieurs d'utilisation des services de santé mentale destinés au PSP. Une mesure valide et rapide du niveau de stigmatisation constituerait, pour les professionnels de la santé mentale, un outil qui pourrait éventuellement améliorer la santé mentale. L'instrument Opening Minds Scale-Workplace Attitudes (OMS-WA) (Échelle d'ouverture d'esprit - Attitudes sur le lieu de travail) est un questionnaire d'autoévaluation couramment utilisé pour mesurer la stigmatisation, mais sa validité psychométrique reste à établir. La présente étude a été conçue pour éval