The Psychometric Properties of the Religious Suicide Stigma Measure: A Study of Religious Congregants and Faith Leaders in the USA
Suicide stigma is a pervasive barrier to suicide prevention efforts. Although several suicide stigma measures are available, a suicide stigma assessment tool that is specific to religious communities has yet to be created. This research was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of a scal...
| Authors: | ; ; ; ; ; ; |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2026
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| In: |
Journal of religion and health
Year: 2026, Volume: 65, Issue: 1, Pages: 719-736 |
| Further subjects: | B
Religious leaders
B Stigma B Assessment B Religious B Scale B Suicide |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Suicide stigma is a pervasive barrier to suicide prevention efforts. Although several suicide stigma measures are available, a suicide stigma assessment tool that is specific to religious communities has yet to be created. This research was conducted to evaluate the psychometric properties of a scale that measures religiously themed suicide stigma. The sample consisted of 378 adult participants from across the USA who attend a religious community, with over 40% of the sample identifying as "faith leaders." The Religious Suicide Stigma Measure (RSSM) items were conceptualized based on statements made by congregants experiencing suicidal behaviors (CESB) and operationalized into twenty-four items. After removing items based on low item-total correlations, low factor loadings, and to increase both internal consistency and a good fit in structural equation modeling, nine items remained. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted, and two factors were found: Community Hostility and Religious Stereotypes. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted, and the model with nine items exhibited good fit, and all items showed strong factor loadings. The RSSM is a nine-item measure that shows high reliability, content and construct validity, as well as convergent and discriminant validity with a public stigma measure. Future research can also utilize this measure to assess religious suicide stigma and its relationship to mental health symptoms and help-seeking behaviors. |
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| ISSN: | 1573-6571 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religion and health
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s10943-025-02560-8 |
