Description

The Level of Contact Report (LCR-12) is a standardized psychometric instrument developed by Holmes, Corrigan, Williams, Canar, and Kubiak (1999) to assess an individual’s degree of familiarity and personal contact with people living with mental illness. The questionnaire was developed within the context of stigma research and has become one of the most widely used measures for evaluating previous exposure to mental illness, an important factor influencing attitudes, stereotypes, prejudice, and discriminatory behaviors toward individuals with psychiatric disorders.

The LCR-12 is a self-report instrument consisting of 12 hierarchical statements, arranged according to increasing levels of personal familiarity with mental illness. The statements range from having no awareness or contact with individuals experiencing mental illness to personally living with a serious mental illness. Respondents are allowed to select one or more statements that accurately describe their experiences, making the instrument flexible and capable of capturing multiple forms of contact.

The underlying assumption of the instrument is that greater personal familiarity with mental illness is associated with lower levels of public stigma, greater empathy, increased knowledge, and more positive attitudes toward people experiencing psychiatric disorders. Consequently, the LCR-12 is frequently incorporated into studies evaluating stigma-reduction programs, mental health education, and public awareness initiatives.

The Level of Contact Report (LCR-12) is extensively used in clinical psychology, psychiatry, mental health research, public health, nursing, social work, medical education, counseling psychology, community psychology, and stigma research, where it serves as a reliable indicator of previous contact with mental illness.

Data Analysis and Use

Data obtained from the Level of Contact Report (LCR-12) are analyzed using standardized psychometric procedures that quantify the participant’s highest reported level of familiarity with mental illness. Participants may select one or more of the twelve statements, and the final score corresponds to the highest-ranked statement selected, representing the greatest degree of personal contact with mental illness experienced by the respondent.

Data analysis generally includes descriptive statistics, frequency distributions, measures of central tendency and variability, correlation analyses, multiple regression models, mediation and moderation analyses, structural equation modeling (SEM), and group comparisons using independent-samples t-tests or analysis of variance (ANOVA). Researchers frequently examine associations between familiarity with mental illness and variables such as stigma, stereotypes, prejudice, help-seeking attitudes, mental health literacy, empathy, social distance, professional training, and quality of interpersonal relationships with individuals experiencing psychiatric disorders.

Psychometric evaluation typically includes analyses of internal consistency, test–retest reliability, construct validity, criterion validity, and cross-cultural adaptation, ensuring reliable application across different populations and cultural settings. The instrument is frequently used to evaluate anti-stigma interventions, educational programs, healthcare training, and public awareness campaigns designed to improve attitudes toward mental illness.

The results are particularly valuable for psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, physicians, educators, social workers, public health professionals, and researchers seeking to understand how personal contact influences stigma, discrimination, and attitudes toward mental health.

Objective

The primary objective of the Level of Contact Report (LCR-12) is to provide a reliable and valid assessment of an individual’s degree of familiarity with mental illness. The questionnaire enables researchers and clinicians to quantify previous personal exposure to psychiatric disorders and investigate how different levels of contact influence beliefs, attitudes, emotional responses, and behaviors toward people experiencing mental illness.

The instrument supports both scientific research and professional practice by facilitating the evaluation of stigma-reduction interventions, assessing mental health literacy, monitoring changes in public attitudes over time, and contributing to evidence-based strategies that promote social inclusion, empathy, and acceptance of individuals living with mental illness.

Scoring

The Level of Contact Report (LCR-12) consists of 12 hierarchical statements representing progressively increasing levels of familiarity with mental illness. Participants may select one or more statements that best describe their experiences. According to the standardized scoring procedure, the participant’s final score corresponds to the highest-numbered statement selected, reflecting the greatest degree of personal familiarity with mental illness.

Higher scores indicate greater personal contact and familiarity with mental illness, whereas lower scores indicate limited or no direct experience with individuals experiencing psychiatric disorders. The questionnaire is intended to measure familiarity rather than attitudes or symptom severity, making it particularly useful as an explanatory variable in studies investigating stigma, prejudice, mental health literacy, and social acceptance.

Reliability and Validity

Studies using the Level of Contact Report (LCR-12) have consistently demonstrated that the instrument possesses good reliability and satisfactory validity, supporting its use as a robust measure of familiarity with mental illness across both clinical and community populations.

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 Toward People with Mental Illness in General Population Groups. Doctoral Dissertation, Democritus University of Thrace.

Nikolaou, E. (2020). Stigma in Schizophrenia: A Comparison Between Future Psychologists, Social Workers and Other Professionals. Master’s Thesis, University of Patras.