Self and other mental health stigma among public safety professionals: a psychometric study

Background  Public safety professionals are frequently exposed to unique stressors and traumas in their work, which can have significant impacts on their mental well-being. However, the stigma surrounding mental health within their professional circles often deters them from seeking help when necessary. Understanding the nature and extent of this stigma is essential for developing targeted interventions to overcome barriers to help-seeking.

Objective  This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Perception of Stigmatization by Others for Seeking Help Scale (PSOSH) and the Self-Stigma of Seeking Help Scale (SSOSH) among public safety professionals.

Method  A total of 11,335 public safety agents from various organizations across all federal units of Brazil participated in the study, completing the PSOSH, SSOSH, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, as well as item response theory’s graded response model, were conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the measures.

Results  The validity evidence suggests one-factor structures for both instruments, with acceptable reliability coefficients. While the PSOSH demonstrated adequate psychometric properties, including good factor loadings, communalities, fit indices, reliability coefficients, and discrimination and difficulty parameters, the SSOSH yielded some results that raise questions about its psychometric properties.

Conclusion  The PSOSH exhibits satisfactory psychometric quality for application in public safety contexts in Brazil. However, further investigation is needed to establish the psychometric parameters of the SSOSH more robustly.

Keywords
Help-seeking; Stigma; Self-stigma; Mental health; Public safety; Professionals