The development of a multidimensional attitude toward mental health scale: preliminary findings from two cohorts of younger and older adults.

In light of older adults' need for mental health services, the present study presents preliminary data gathered from two cohorts of younger and older adults for the purpose of exploring the utility of a multidimensional measure of attitudes toward mental health for older persons. Intercorrelations among the attitude scales suggest that they measure distinct aspects of mental health attitudes, and in varying degrees, these scales intercorrelate with the Fischer and Turner (1970) Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional and Psychological Help scale. Dimensionalized scores also differentially relate to mental health service use across samples. In light of this measure's exploratory nature, future research exploring its factor structure, construct validity, and predictive validity is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]