Abstract
Background: Stigma is a significant obstacle to mental health recovery, is a barrier to seeking help and is linked to social exclusion. The Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS) is one of the most widely used scales to evaluate stigma against people diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder. The RIBS consists of two parts. The first part has four items that are answered as "Yes", "No", and "Don't know", while second part has four items answered with a 5-option Likert scale. Although the RIBS has been used in some studies with Spanish-speaking populations, no prior research has systematically adapted and validated the scale for Spanish-speaking adults. This study aimed to fill this gap by gathering evidence of the validity and reliability of the RIBS to assess stigma in a Spanish cultural context.
Methods: A total of 361 adults (M = 33.5 years, SD = 15.0), the majority of whom were women (80.6%) and had completed secondary education (46.3%), participated in the study. The Spanish version of the RIBS was administered alongside the Attributional Questionnaire Abbreviated Version (AQ-14) and the Community Attitudes Toward the Mentally Ill Scale (CAMI). The scale’s dimensionality was examined using a confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was assessed using McDonald’s omega and Cronbach’s alpha, and relationships with other variables through Spearman correlation coefficients.
Results: A 49.3% currently live or have lived with someone with a mental health problem, 50.1% currently work or have worked with such individuals, 44.6% currently have or have had a mental health problem themselves, 79.5% currently have or have had a close friend with a mental health condition. Factor analysis supported the one-factor structure of the RIBS, with factor loadings ranging from .80 to .91, and a good model fit. Reliability was excellent (ω = .89, α = .88). Additionally, the RIBS showed moderate to high correlations with the AQ-14 (r = .51) and the CAMI (r = .58).
Conclusion: The findings support the RIBS scores as valid and reliable for assessing stigma in the Spanish-speaking population. Its application can contribute to evaluating and improving interventions aimed at reducing stigma.
| Poster | Psychometric validation of the Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS) in the Spanish-speaking population |
|---|---|
| Author | Taulé, J. (1), Barrios, M. (1), Sampietro, H. M. (2), Guilera, G. (1) |
| Affiliation | (1) Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona; (2) ActivaMent Catalunya Associació |
| Keywords | Validation; Mental health; Stigma |
