Scale Analysis and Purpose

The Level of Contact Report (LCR-12) is a scale developed by Holmes and colleagues in 1999. It is a self-report psychometric test, based on scales previously used in research related to the stigma surrounding mental illnesses. This particular scale was created with the purpose of measuring familiarity with mental illness. The questions included refer to various situations and are based on the respondent’s familiarity with someone who has a mental disorder.

Question Calibration

The LCR-12 consists of 12 statements/responses, which are listed according to the respondent’s degree of familiarity with mental illness. Specifically, the first statement is: “I have never observed a person that I was aware had a mental illness,” and the last is: “I have a serious mental illness.” Regarding completion of the scale, the respondent may select one or more of the 12 statements, according to those that best describe them.

Statistical Analysis

After completing the scale, a total score is calculated, corresponding to the highest value of the statement(s) selected by the respondent. It is noted that the higher the score, the greater the individual’s familiarity with mental illness.

Validity and Reliability

In various studies that have used this research tool, it has been observed that it shows quite high reliability as well as validity.

References

Holmes, E. P., Corrigan, P. W., Williams, P., Canar, J., & Kubiak, M. A. (1999). Changing attitudes about schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 25(3), 447–456.
Arvaniti, A. (2008). Attitudes towards mentally ill individuals in general population groups (Doctoral dissertation, Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH). Department of Medicine. Department of Psychiatry. University Psychiatric Clinic).
Nikolaou, E. (2020). Stigma in Schizophrenia: A Comparison Between Future Psychologists, Social Workers, and Other Professionals (Doctoral dissertation, School of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences: Department of Social Sciences and Behavioral Sciences: Master’s in Clinical Psychology).