Measurement Invariance of the Self-Stigma of Mental Illness Scale: A Cross-Cultural Study

Shengnan Li, Patrick J. Heath, Carlos A. Vidales, David L. Vogel and Yangang Nie
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Shengnan Li: Department of Psychology, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Patrick J. Heath: Department of Psychological Science, Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, MN 56082, USA
Carlos A. Vidales: Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
David L. Vogel: Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA
Yangang Nie: Department of Psychology, School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: The current study assessed the measurement invariance of the Self-stigma of Mental Illness scale (SSOMI) across Chinese and US samples and assessed whether the SSOMI differentially relates to distress levels across Chinese and US participants. We included 487 participants in China and 550 in the US (mean age was 19.52 in China and 19.29 in the US). The results indicated that partial measurement invariance of the SSOMI scale across China and the United States participants was established. Furthermore, we observed validity evidence for the SSOMI scale through its correlations with a well-established self-stigma measure and measures of depression, anxiety, and stress. Finally, we found that the SSOMI scale is more strongly linked to symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in China than it is in the United States, supporting previous research. These findings enable researchers to utilize the scale cross-culturally (i.e., with participants of Chinese and US origin), and to develop and implement interventions targeting mental illness stigma in both China and the United States.

Keywords: measurement invariance; cross-cultural; self-stigma; mental illness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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