Psychometric properties and validation of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers in Slovenia

TL;DR

This study validates a Slovenian version of a scale to measure mental health stigma among healthcare providers, offering two versions for different research needs.

Contribution

The study provides the first validated Slovenian version of the OMS-HC scale for measuring mental health stigma among healthcare professionals.

Findings

Both 12- and 14-item versions of the Slovenian OMS-HC demonstrated strong psychometric properties.

The 12-item version is recommended for research prioritizing simplicity, while the 14-item version is suggested for broader clinical coverage.

The scale showed moderate convergent validity with the MICA-4 scale.

Abstract

Mental health-related stigma among healthcare professionals is a well-documented global concern, contributing to delayed help-seeking, suboptimal treatment adherence, and poorer patient outcomes. In Slovenia, despite growing public and policy efforts to reduce stigma, no validated instrument existed to measure such attitudes among healthcare providers.

We aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the Slovenian version of the Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC).

A diverse sample of 280 Slovenian healthcare professionals completed the OMS-HC. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were used to assess the structure of the scale, and reliability was examined through model-based indices, internal consistency, and test–retest reliability. Convergent validity was evaluated using the MICA-4 scale.

Initial confirmatory factor analysis indicated relatively poor model fit for the original 15-item, three-factor model. Subsequent exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the use of either a 12- or 14-item version. Both demonstrated strong general factor reliability (OmegaH > 0.69; ECV ≈ 0.60), with the 12-item version offering slightly better model fit, while the 14-item version retained broader conceptual content. Test–retest reliability was good for the total score and good to moderate for the subscales. Moderate positive correlations with the MICA-4 scale confirmed convergent validity.

The Slovenian OMS-HC shows good psychometric properties in both its 12- and 14-item formats and is suitable for assessing stigma among healthcare professionals. We recommend the 12-item version for research contexts where parsimony is prioritized, and the 14-item version when broader clinical coverage is needed. Its validation addresses an important methodological gap in Slovenia and provides a reliable tool for stigma monitoring and intervention planning.

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