Attitudes toward child mental health services: adaptation and development of an attitude scale
Year: 2006
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Research shows that a considerable number of children and adolescents suffer\nneedlessly from psychological problems and only about 50% of those receive the\nnecessary services. Considering the impact of untreated child psychological problems on\nproblems in adulthood, it is important to examine the influence of attitudes on seeking\nmental health service for children. Currently, no known measure exists to measure\nattitudes toward mental health services for children. Building on previous research, the\ngoal of the present study was to develop a measure of individuals' attitudes toward\nmental health services for children. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the factor\nstructure was assessed using a sample of university students (N = 250). In addition,\nseveral hypotheses were tested examining the influence of previous experience with\nmental health services on attitudes towards psychological services and mental health\nstigma. Finally, differences in child characteristics on intended help-seeking were\nexamined. The measure developed consists of 26-items scored from 0 (strongly\ndisagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Overall, results indicated that the 3-factor structure of the\nmeasure developed was valid and reliable. Also, consistent with previous research on mental health services results supported the hypotheses of the current study. Future\nresearch will examine whether the 3-factor structure is replicated using a sample of\nparents.
Author: Erlanger A. Turner
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2273004413