Scale Overview
The Attitudes Towards Mental Health Problems – ATMHP was developed by Paul Gilbert, R. Bhundia, R. Mitra, K. McEwan, C. Irons, & J. Sanghera (2007). It is designed to measure Shame-focused attitudes towards mental health problems. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 35 items organized into 7 factors/subscales: Community Attitudes, Family Attitudes, External Shame – Community, External Shame – Family, Internal Shame, Reflected Shame – Family, Reflected Shame – Self.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Community Attitudes |
1,2,3,4 |
4 |
| Family Attitudes |
5,6,7,8 |
4 |
| External Shame – Community |
9,10,11,12,13 |
5 |
| External Shame – Family |
14,15,16,17,18 |
5 |
| Internal Shame |
19,20,21,22,23 |
5 |
| Reflected Shame – Family |
24,25,26,27,28,29,30 |
7 |
| Reflected Shame – Self |
31,32,33,34,35 |
5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Do not agree at all, 1 = Agree a little, 2 = Mostly agree, 3 = Completely Agree.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 105. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low shame-focused attitudes: 0 – 35
- Moderate shame-focused attitudes: 36 – 70
- High shame-focused attitudes: 71 – 105
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of High internal consistency (typically Cronbach's alpha > .85 for subscales).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.