A Test of the Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services

This study investigates the construct validity, composite reliability, and concurrent validity of
the Inventory of Attitudes toward Seeking Mental Health Services(IASMHS; Mackenzie, Knox, Gekoski, & Macaulay, 2004). A large sample of Irish police officers participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the 3-factor structure of the scale, while composite reliability results demonstrated that the IASMHS possessed excellent
internal reliability. Structural equation modelling indicated that help-seeking propensity was the strongest predictor of intentions to engage in psychological counselling followed by
psychological openness. Neuroticism was a weak, significant predictor of intentions. Implications of these results are discussed in relation to improving utilization rates of mental
health services.