Investigation of the psychometric properties of the stigma section of the Family Interview Schedule

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to adapt the stigma subdimension of the Family Interview Schedule (FIS) developed for a World Health Organization study for use with a Turkish population and to conduct a validity and reliability assessment of the instrument.
METHODS: The study sample consisted of 141 family members who presented at the Adult Psychiatry Inpatient and Outpatient Unit of a university hospital and the Izmir Schizophrenia Solidarity Association between May 2019 and November 2020 who met the sampling criteria. The inclusion criteria were age >18 years, literacy, family member of a patient with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or a mood disorder. Internal consistency analysis and test–retest analysis were performed to assess reliability, and validity was evaluated using language validity analysis, content validity analysis, and exploratory factor analysis.
RESULTS: The content validity index of the stigma section of the FIS was 0.96, and a Cronbach alpha level of 0.81 was determined. The Spearman correlation coefficient of test-retest reliability between 2 measurements was 0.86.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The results of the present study demonstrated that the Turkish version of the stigma section of the FIS created is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used to assess the stigma experiences of family members of people with chronic mental illness in Turkey.