The Prejudice Towards People with Mental Illness Scale: Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version (PPMI-IT)
Currently, there are no validated instruments in Italian specifically designed to assess mental illness stigma or prejudice. Moreover, implicit measures, while insightful, are often resource-intensive and impractical for large-scale population studies of Italian speakers. The present study investiga...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/15/7/126 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849246410584621056 |
|---|---|
| author | Francesca Bruno Francesco Chirico Hicham Khabbache Younes Rami Driss Ait Ali Valentina Cardella Maria Chayinska Ivan Formica Amelia Rizzo |
| author_facet | Francesca Bruno Francesco Chirico Hicham Khabbache Younes Rami Driss Ait Ali Valentina Cardella Maria Chayinska Ivan Formica Amelia Rizzo |
| author_sort | Francesca Bruno |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Currently, there are no validated instruments in Italian specifically designed to assess mental illness stigma or prejudice. Moreover, implicit measures, while insightful, are often resource-intensive and impractical for large-scale population studies of Italian speakers. The present study investigated the validity of the Italian version of the Prejudice towards People with Mental Illness scale (PPMI-IT) in measuring biases toward individuals with mental health issues. The original instrument by Kenny et al. was translated from English into Italian and vice versa. A sample of 455 Italian-speaking participants (65% female; M<sub>age</sub> = 33.39; SD = 13.21) was utilized to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis, confirming a four-factor structure (<i>fear/avoidance, malevolence, authoritarianism, unpredictability</i>). Factor loadings indicated that each dimension was well represented, supporting the construct validity of the scale. Model fit indices, including chi-square (χ<sup>2</sup> = 782.54, df = 296.00, χ<sup>2</sup>/df = 2.64), RMSEA (0.06, 90% CI: 0.060–0.07), CFI (0.93), TLI (0.91), and SRMR (0.06), suggest an excellent model fit. Furthermore, the analysis of correlations and the heterotrait/monotrait (HTMT) ratio provides evidence supporting the discriminant validity of the PPMI scale compared with social desirability. These findings confirm that the PPMI scale is a valid and reliable tool for assessing biases toward individuals with mental health issues, making it suitable for academic research, clinical interventions, and public policy contexts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-94b9eb9aae6a4cd7920b83ee4c4b7976 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2174-8144 2254-9625 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-94b9eb9aae6a4cd7920b83ee4c4b79762025-08-20T03:58:30ZengMDPI AGEuropean Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education2174-81442254-96252025-07-0115712610.3390/ejihpe15070126The Prejudice Towards People with Mental Illness Scale: Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version (PPMI-IT)Francesca Bruno0Francesco Chirico1Hicham Khabbache2Younes Rami3Driss Ait Ali4Valentina Cardella5Maria Chayinska6Ivan Formica7Amelia Rizzo8Department of Cognitive Sciences, Pedagogical Psychological and Cultural Studies, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, ItalyPost-Graduate School in Occupational Health, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, 00168 Rome, ItalyFaculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez 30000, MoroccoFaculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez 30000, MoroccoFaculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez 30000, MoroccoDepartment of Cognitive Sciences, Pedagogical Psychological and Cultural Studies, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Cognitive Sciences, Pedagogical Psychological and Cultural Studies, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Cognitive Sciences, Pedagogical Psychological and Cultural Studies, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, ItalyMedical-Legal Center of Messina, National Institute of Social Welfare, 98122 Messina, ItalyCurrently, there are no validated instruments in Italian specifically designed to assess mental illness stigma or prejudice. Moreover, implicit measures, while insightful, are often resource-intensive and impractical for large-scale population studies of Italian speakers. The present study investigated the validity of the Italian version of the Prejudice towards People with Mental Illness scale (PPMI-IT) in measuring biases toward individuals with mental health issues. The original instrument by Kenny et al. was translated from English into Italian and vice versa. A sample of 455 Italian-speaking participants (65% female; M<sub>age</sub> = 33.39; SD = 13.21) was utilized to conduct a confirmatory factor analysis, confirming a four-factor structure (<i>fear/avoidance, malevolence, authoritarianism, unpredictability</i>). Factor loadings indicated that each dimension was well represented, supporting the construct validity of the scale. Model fit indices, including chi-square (χ<sup>2</sup> = 782.54, df = 296.00, χ<sup>2</sup>/df = 2.64), RMSEA (0.06, 90% CI: 0.060–0.07), CFI (0.93), TLI (0.91), and SRMR (0.06), suggest an excellent model fit. Furthermore, the analysis of correlations and the heterotrait/monotrait (HTMT) ratio provides evidence supporting the discriminant validity of the PPMI scale compared with social desirability. These findings confirm that the PPMI scale is a valid and reliable tool for assessing biases toward individuals with mental health issues, making it suitable for academic research, clinical interventions, and public policy contexts.https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/15/7/126PPMIprejudicemental illnessmental health |
| spellingShingle | Francesca Bruno Francesco Chirico Hicham Khabbache Younes Rami Driss Ait Ali Valentina Cardella Maria Chayinska Ivan Formica Amelia Rizzo The Prejudice Towards People with Mental Illness Scale: Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version (PPMI-IT) European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education PPMI prejudice mental illness mental health |
| title | The Prejudice Towards People with Mental Illness Scale: Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version (PPMI-IT) |
| title_full | The Prejudice Towards People with Mental Illness Scale: Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version (PPMI-IT) |
| title_fullStr | The Prejudice Towards People with Mental Illness Scale: Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version (PPMI-IT) |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Prejudice Towards People with Mental Illness Scale: Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version (PPMI-IT) |
| title_short | The Prejudice Towards People with Mental Illness Scale: Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version (PPMI-IT) |
| title_sort | prejudice towards people with mental illness scale psychometric properties of the italian version ppmi it |
| topic | PPMI prejudice mental illness mental health |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2254-9625/15/7/126 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT francescabruno theprejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT francescochirico theprejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT hichamkhabbache theprejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT younesrami theprejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT drissaitali theprejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT valentinacardella theprejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT mariachayinska theprejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT ivanformica theprejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT ameliarizzo theprejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT francescabruno prejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT francescochirico prejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT hichamkhabbache prejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT younesrami prejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT drissaitali prejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT valentinacardella prejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT mariachayinska prejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT ivanformica prejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit AT ameliarizzo prejudicetowardspeoplewithmentalillnessscalepsychometricpropertiesoftheitalianversionppmiit |