Attitudes towards prisoners who self harm scale: a psychometric evaluation
Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research
ISSN: 1759-6599
Article publication date: 13 July 2015
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report on the internal consistency, convergent validity and test-retest reliability of the Attitudes to Prisoners who Self-Harm scale (APSH). The latter have yet to be examined.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants were prison staff with prisoner contact (N=97). Internal consistency of the APSH was examined using Cronbach’s α. Convergent validity of the APSH was examined by comparing it to the Self-Harm Antipathy Scale, a reliable and valid measure of healthcare staff attitudes to self-harm. Test-retest reliability was examined by re-administering the APSH one week after initial assessment (n=75).
Findings
The measure demonstrated adequate levels of internal consistency, convergent validity and test-retest reliability.
Originality/value
The findings support use of the APSH within custodial settings. It could be used to guide recruitment and training of prison officers that care for prisoners who self-harm and to evaluate the efficacy of their training. This would influence good practice.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance of Barbara Parker during the final revision of the paper.
Citation
Garbutt, K. and Casey, H. (2015), "Attitudes towards prisoners who self harm scale: a psychometric evaluation", Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 158-166. https://doi.org/10.1108/JACPR-08-2014-0133
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited