To examine the psychometric properties of the PROfessional Forensic Stigma (PROFS) scale, a measure assessing professional stigma among mental healthcare professionals working with forensic populations.
Approach:
Study Design: Cross-sectional study involving 219 mental healthcare professionals from forensic and community services in Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Scale Development: Participants completed the initial PROFS (36 items; 7-point Likert scale) and other measures related to stereotypes, affective reactions, social distance, empathy, and social desirability.
Psychometric Evaluation: Classical test theory and Rasch analysis were used to assess item functioning, dimensionality, reliability, and construct validity.
Key Findings:
The initial PROFS demonstrated a three-domain structure: Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination.
The final 30-item version showed acceptable to good reliability (total scale PSI = 0.86–0.90; subscale PSI = 0.67–0.84).
Convergent validity was supported by moderate to strong correlations with negative stereotypes, affective reactions, and social distance.
Weak associations with empathy and social desirability indicated divergent validity.
Floor effects were observed for Discrimination items.
Interpretation:
Limitations:
The study's cross-sectional design limits causal inferences.
The sample was limited to specific countries, which may affect generalizability.
Conclusion:
The PROFS scale can support research and evaluation of stigma-related outcomes and inform stigma-reduction initiatives in forensic mental healthcare.
