Psychometric development of the Mental Health Problems Perception Questionnaire

Abstract

First paragraph: The Mental Health Problems Perception Questionnaire (MHPPQ) was initially developed as a measure of the therapeutic commitment, role support and role competency of district nurses working with patients experiencing mental health problems in rural communities. The instrument, a 27-item self report summated rating scale, is underpinned by an explicit theoretical model, described by Lauder et al. (2000a). The model identifies therapeutic commitment, role competency and role support as its core concepts. It is derived from the work of Shaw et al. (1978) who proposed a model to explain the factors that influence nonspecialist workers’ therapeutic commitment to working with people with alcohol problems. Initial testing demonstrated the MHPPQ to be a valid and reliable measure for the population studied (Lauder et al. 2000a).