Validation of the Self Stigma of Seeking Help (SSOSH) scale in a population of Colombian medical students

Abstract

ObjectiveValidate the Self Stigma Of Seeking Help (SSOSH) scale in a population of students of a medical school for its use in Colombia. MethodsWe included 384 medical students from the city of Medellín. Initially, two direct translations were made, two back translation and one pilot test. The internal consistency, test-retest repeatability and structural, convergent, divergent and discriminative construct validity were then evaluated. ResultsA easy-to-understand and to fill out Spanish version was obtained. The internal consistency of the scale was adequate (Cronbach’s alpha = .80; 95%CI, .77–.83) as well as the test-retest repeatability (CCI = .77; 95%CI, .63–.86). The Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed a good fit with the one-dimensional structure (RMSEA = .073; IC90%, .056–.089; CFI = .968; TLI = .977; WRMR = .844). The convergent validity was supported by the correlation with the Public Stigma scales (ρ = .39) and Attitudes towards Seeking Help (ρ = –0.50) and the divergent validity with the Social Desirability scale (ρ = –0,05). When examining the discriminative validity, differences were found between the scores of those who would be willing to seek professional help when having a mental health problem and those who probably would not (Difference of means = 4.9; 95%CI, 2.99–6.83). ConclusionsThe Colombian version of the SSOSH is valid, reliable and useful for the measurement of the Self-stigma associated with seeking professional help in the university population of the Colombian health sector. Its psychometric properties must be investigated in populations of other programs and outside universities.