title: Test-retest reliability of two instruments for measuring public attitudes towards persons with mental illness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Research has identified stigmatization as a major threat to successful treatment of individuals with mental illness. As a consequence several anti-stigma campaigns have been carried out. The results have been discouraging and the field suffers from lack of evidence about interventions that work. There are few reports on psychometric data for instruments used to assess stigma, which thus complicates research efforts. The aim of the present study was to investigate test-retest reliability of the Swedish versions of the questionnaires: FABI and "Changing Minds" and to examine the internal consistency of the two instruments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two instruments, fear and behavioural intentions (FABI) and "Changing Minds", used in earlier studies on public attitudes towards persons with mental illness were translated into Swedish and completed by 51 nursing students on two occasions, with an interval of three weeks. Test-retest reliability was calculated by using weighted kappa coefficient and internal consistency using the Cronbach's alpha coefficient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both instruments attain at best moderate test-retest reliability. For the Changing Minds questionnaire almost one fifth (17.9%) of the items present poor test-retest reliability and the alpha coefficient for the subscales ranges between 0.19 - 0.46. All of the items in the FABI reach a fair or a moderate agreement between the test and retest, and the questionnaire displays a high internal consistency, alpha 0.80.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a need for development of psychometrically tested instruments within this field of research.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, PO Box 157 221 00 Lund, Sweden. bengt.svensson@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Bengt
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Svensson
authors.forename: Urban
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Markström
authors.forename: Ulrika
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bejerholm
authors.forename: Tommy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Björkman
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Brunt
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eklund
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hansson
authors.forename: Christel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leufstadius
authors.forename: Amanda Lundvik
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gyllensten
authors.forename: Mikael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sandlund
authors.forename: Margareta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ostman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011287:Prejudice; D011594:Psychometrics; D011639:Public Opinion; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013240:Stereotyping; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014175:Translating