Introduction

Research about stigma on mental illness in different sociocultural contexts is crucial to guide international efforts to reduce discrimination.

Objective

Analyze the psychometric properties of the Perceived Devaluation and Discrimination (PDD) scale adapted for the Mexican population and its relationship with sociodemographic variables and interpersonal contact.

Method

The study was based on a psychometric and cross-sectional design. The PDD scale was applied to a sample of 295 participants recruited through community programs in the south of Mexico City. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis to identify the subscales of PDDs. These subscales were compared by age, gender, and education using a univariate analysis. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was then performed to determine whether there were differences in educational level between three PDDM-subscales.

Results

The PDD scale obtained an adequate global internal consistency (α = .78). Three PDDs factors were identified: myths and stereotypes, favorable attitudes, and social exclusion, which explain 57.8% of the total variance. The results shows an Χ2SB = 140.88 (df = 143, p = .05, CFI = 1, RMSEA = .000, CI [.000, .029]). Other findings showed significant differences in favorable attitudes toward mental illness subscale by gender and age. The ANOVA results for the social perception of the devaluation subscale reveal that those with a higher educational level could be more aware about devaluation in society toward people with mental illness than other groups with lower education (F = 4.88, p = .005).

Discussion and conclusion

The PDD-M scale adapted in Mexico is a culturally valid and reliable measure that could be useful for evaluating the variations and commonalities of public stigma in comparative studies between Latino populations and other international research contexts.

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