Reliability and validity of the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-Short Form
Abstract
We examined the reliability and validity of the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-Short Form (ATSPPH-SF), a widely cited measure of mental health treatment attitudes. Data from 296 college students and 389 primary care patients were analyzed. The ATSPPH-SF evidenced adequate internal consistency. Higher scores (indicating more positive treatment attitudes) were associated with less treatment-related stigma, and greater intentions to seek treatment in the future. No associations were found for mental health impairment or depression. The ATSPPH-SF was related to the recent use of mental health treatment and recent treatment intensity (i.e., visit counts); after controlling for demographic variables associated with treatment use, this relationship held in predicting previous use from non-use, but not visit counts. Factor-analytic findings demonstrated that a two-factor model (Openness to Seeking Treatment for Emotional Problems, and Value and Need in Seeking Treatment) represented the data well. Implications for future research on mental healthcare use correlates are discussed, as well as the need for enhancing peoples' attitudes toward treatment.
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Some researchers found good internal consistency for a unidimensional measure, a two-factor model, and a three-factor model with two studies using Asian populations in Singapore.
“Some researchers found good internal consistency for a unidimensional measure (Ang et al., 2007), a two-factor model (Elhai et al., 2008), and a threefactor model (Picco et al., 2016) with two studies using Asian populations in Singapore (Ang et al., 2007; Picco et al., 2016).”
From Maladaptive Perfectionism, Disguised Distress, and Help Seeking in the Culture of 'Saving Face': Links to Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms among Asian Youth (2019) · cites this paper as Elhai et al., 2008
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- Authors
- Elhai, J. D., Schweinle, W., & Anderson, S. M.
- Affiliations
- University of South Dakota (US)
- Corresponding author
- Elhai, Jon D.
- Venue
- Psychiatry Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2008-06
- Volume
- 159
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 320-329
- ISSN
- 0165-1781 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2089618989
- Cited by
- 313
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 19 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 22 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 5.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychiatry Research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Division of Graduate Education
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
- Keywords
- treatment attitudes, mental health treatment seeking, mental health service utilization, treatment intensity, university students, primary care patients, psychometric validation, factor structure
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Attitude to Health, Mental Disorders, Depressive Disorder, Factor Analysis, Statistical, Female, Health Status, Humans, Male, Mental Health Services, Middle Aged, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Patients, Personality Inventory, Primary Health Care, Psychometrics, Surveys and Questionnaires, Students, Reproducibility of Results, Models, Statistical
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