Purpose of the Scale

The primary purpose of the OMI-51 is to measure dimensions and attitudes toward mental illness. As early as 1962, it was considered a highly reliable research tool capable of quantifying individuals’ attitudes toward people experiencing mental illness.

Scale Analysis

The Opinions about Mental Illness Scale [OMI-51] was developed by Cohen and Struening in 1962 and consists of 51 items. It is a widely used and validated instrument for identifying and distinguishing community perceptions toward mental illness.

Scoring of Items

Measurement is conducted using the Likert method, which captures the degree of agreement with a series of positive and negative statements concerning mental illness.
Each item is rated on a 6-point Likert scale ranging from:
1 = Strongly Agree to 6 = Strongly Disagree.
Responses are scored numerically according to the chosen option. There are no reverse-scored items.

Statistical Analysis

Scores for each factor are calculated by summing all item responses and then subtracting from a predefined constant. A higher score on any factor indicates greater agreement with the underlying dimension.
The factors identified through statistical analysis are:
Social Discrimination
Social Restriction
Social Care
Social Integration
Etiology
Scale Validity
The OMI-51 demonstrates satisfactory validity. The scale has also been translated into Greek and adapted for use in Greek populations (Madianos et al., 1987; Madianos et al., 1999).
Scale Reliability
Test–retest reliability has been found to be high for the overall scale and its individual factors, confirming the tool’s consistency over time.

References

Cohen, J., & Struening, E. L. (1962). Opinions about mental illness in the personnel of two large mental hospitals. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 64(5), 349.
Madianos, M., Economou, M., Peppou, L. E., Kallergis, G., Rogakou, E., & Alevizopoulos, G. (2012). Measuring public attitudes to severe mental illness in Greece: Development of a new scale. The European Journal of Psychiatry, 26(1), 55–67.
Keywords: Scale, assessment, mental illness, test, study, research, quantitative research, quantitative analysis, reliability, validity, research questionnaire, measurement scale, research hypothesis, data analysis, statistical analysis, research proposal, response analysis, translation.