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Attitudes toward seeking medical care: development and standardization of a comprehensive scale
Author(s) -
Fischer Edward H.,
Dornelas Ellen A.,
DiLorenzo Terry A.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/jasp.12043
Subject(s) - psychology , scale (ratio) , factorial analysis , sample (material) , test (biology) , social psychology , standardization , reliability (semiconductor) , health care , clinical psychology , statistics , paleontology , power (physics) , physics , chemistry , mathematics , chromatography , quantum mechanics , political science , law , biology , economics , economic growth
A scale measuring attitudes toward seeking medical help was devised and pretested with college students. The scale was internally consistent and had evident factorial and congruent validity. In a second sample, both the revised scale and its primary attitudinal component—an action–intention subscale—had strong test–retest reliability and correlation with reported medical appointments and contacts assessed approximately 2 months later. In a sample of H artford, CT residents, the scale's factorial structure was remarkably similar to that of the students. Help‐seeking attitudes differentiated between people who had been treated for a medical crisis and those who had not; those with and without health insurance; and, of the insured, those who considered their coverage adequate and those who did not.