Self-Stigma of Seeking Help scale – SSOSH
Measures the self-stigma associated with seeking professional psychological help.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Self-Stigma of Seeking Help scale – SSOSH was developed by David L. Vogel, Nathaniel G. Wade, & Shawn Haake (2006). It is designed to measure Self-stigma of seeking psychological help. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 10 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = somewhat disagree, 3 = agree and disagree equally, 4 = somewhat agree, 5 = strongly agree.
The scale includes 5 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 10 to 50. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Self-Stigma: 10 – 22
- Moderate Self-Stigma: 23 – 37
- High Self-Stigma: 38 – 50
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.86 – 0.90.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.