Validation of the Malay Mental Help Seeking Attitude Scale

Abstract

There is a rise in the incidence and prevalence of mental distress among Malaysians. However, the rate of mental health service utilization is low. As mental help-seeking attitude is a strong predictor for seeking mental health treatment, it is important to validate a feasible and psychometrically sound instrument in the Malaysian context. This study aimed to investigate the reliability and validity of a recently developed help-seeking attitude scale, the Mental Help Seeking Attitude Scale (MHSAS) among Malaysian youth. A total of 261 students from a secondary school (n=127) and a university (n=134) from the Klang Valley, Malaysia participated in this study. They were self-administered the 9-item Malay MHSAS along with the General Help-seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ) and Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale (SSOSH). Retest of the MHSAS was conducted with 47 students three months later. Factor analysis was employed to evaluate construct validity, while concurrent validity was determined through bivariate correlation with the SSOSH and GHSQ scales. Paired-samples t-test was conducted to evaluate test-retest reliability. The single dimensionality of the MHSAS’s original version was supported. Factor loadings ranged from .636 to .799, and inter-item correlation ranged from .547 to .726. Results revealed high internal consistency and test-retest reliability was confirmed. The scale also demonstrated acceptable concurrent validity when compared with the GHSQ and SSOSH. The Malay version of the MHSAS demonstrated good psychometric properties to measure help-seeking attitudes in the Malaysian youth population.