The Stigma of Suicide Scale

Philip J. Batterham · Alison L. Calear · Helen M Christensen

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Suicide and Self-Harm Studies Mental Health Treatment and Access Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There are presently no validated scales to adequately measure the stigma of suicide in the community. The Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS) is a new scale containing 58 descriptors of a "typical" person who completes suicide. AIMS: To validate the SOSS as a tool for assessing stigma toward suicide, to examine the scale's factor structure, and to assess correlates of stigmatizing attitudes. METHOD: In March 2010, 676 staff and students at the Australian National University completed the scale in an online survey. The construct validity of the SOSS was assessed by comparing its factors with factors extracted from the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ). RESULTS: Three factors were identified: stigma, isolation/depression, and glorification/normalization. Each factor had high internal consistency and strong concurrent validity with the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire. More than 25% of respondents agreed that people who suicided were "weak," "reckless," or "selfish." Respondents who were female, who had a psychology degree, or who spoke only English at home were less stigmatizing. A 16-item version of the scale also demonstrated robust psychometric properties. CONCLUSIONS: The SOSS is the first attitudes scale designed to directly measure the stigma of suicide in the community. Results suggest that psychoeducation may successfully reduce stigma.

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References

2002Contact With Mental Health and Primary Care Providers Before Suicide: A Review of the Evidence 2006Stigma and its public health implications 1999Lessons from social psychology on discrediting psychiatric stigma.2010Twelve-Month Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Suicide Attempts in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys 2008National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results 2008Predictors of depression stigma

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2014Increasing Help-Seeking and Referrals for Individuals at Risk for Suicide by Decreasing Stigma 2016The Stigma of Suicide Survivorship and Related Consequences—A Systematic Review 2017Factors Influencing Professional Help-Seeking for Suicidality 2014Evaluation of an online psychoeducation intervention to promote mental health help seeking attitudes and intentions among young adults: Randomised controlled trial 2016Stigma in Male Depression and Suicide: A Canadian Sex Comparison Study 2014Suicide literacy, suicide stigma and help-seeking intentions in Australian medical students 2016

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