Evaluating the psychometric properties of the Autism Stigma and Knowledge Questionnaire (ASK-Q) among Greek mental health professionals: an exploratory study

Abstract

Accurate knowledge about autism spectrum disorder (ASD), whether it is for children or adults, is necessary for healthcare professionals to address the increased needs of this population and decrease the disparities in the services provided. The study aims to adapt the Autism Stigma and Knowledge Questionnaire (ASK-Q) into Greek among mental health professionals (MHP), such as speech therapists, psychiatrists, and the general population (GP). The translated version was administered to 73 MHP and 140 GP according to the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Medical Outcomes Trust guidelines. Findings revealed that MHP had adequate knowledge of autism and did not endorse the stigma of autism. Statistically significant differences were indicated in ASK-Q subdomains between MHP and the GP and its four structural factors. The internal consistency was acceptable (α=0.646). The ROC analysis computed to determine the cut-off points of the ASK-Q four domains returned a result of 39.00 with a sensitivity of 0.616 and 1-specificity of 0.150. The proposed version of the ASK-Q has good psychometric properties and is valid and reliable for assessing the knowledge and stigma beliefs associated with autism among mental health professionals.