The stigma towards mental illness: Portuguese validation of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Healthcare Providers (OMS-HC)
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Updated: Jun 30, 2025

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Published on: January 17, 2025
Maria Beatriz P Moreira1, Helena P Pereira1,2, Inês N Torres1
1Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Background:
Stigma toward mental illness significantly contributes to a lower quality of healthcare that can be provided. There are few studies on this topic in Portugal, so validating a scale that can evaluate and study the stigma is paramount. The aim of this study was to validate the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Portuguese healthcare professionals.
Methods:
A total of 503 participants were included in this study, and the majority was female (81.1%). The sample consisted mainly of psychologists (39.4%) and physicians (30.8%). Reliability and validity analyses were conducted and included exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).
Results:
Our results suggest that a 12-item model was the most appropriate (RMSEA = 0.026, SRMR = 0.057, CFI = 0.979, TLI = 0.973, GFI = 0.955) compared to our 15-item model and the original model. Items 8, 9 and 10 were removed. The 12-item scale's internal consistency was adequate (α = 0.71; ω = 0.72).
Conclusion:
The 12-item model of the scale showed good reliability and validity and is appropriate for use with Portuguese healthcare professionals.
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