Beliefs About Psychological Services (BAPS)

Abstract

The Beliefs About Psychological Services (BAPS) scale is an 18-item instrument developed by Ægisdóttir and Gerstein in 2009. Its primary function is to measure individuals’ attitudes and beliefs regarding the utilization and effectiveness of professional psychological services. The scale is designed to assess various facets of these beliefs, including the propensity to seek help (Intent), concerns about social judgment (Stigma Tolerance), and perception of practitioner competence (Expertness). The BAPS is a crucial tool in research examining barriers to help-seeking behavior and is widely employed in counseling and clinical psychology studies.

Keywords

Beliefs About Psychological Services, BAPS, attitudes toward counseling, help-seeking, stigma, intent, expertness, psychological services, psychometric scale

Authors

Stefanía Ægisdóttir, Lawrence H. Gerstein

Purpose

The principal purpose of the Beliefs About Psychological Services (BAPS) scale is to provide researchers and clinicians with a robust, standardized measure of an individual’s cognitive and affective evaluations concerning professional psychological assistance. It moves beyond simple measures of willingness to seek help by dissecting the underlying belief structures that either facilitate or inhibit the decision to engage in treatment. By quantifying these beliefs, the BAPS allows for a deeper understanding of why certain demographic groups may show reluctance toward utilizing mental health resources.

Specifically, the instrument aims to capture the multifaceted nature of attitudes toward therapy, acknowledging that these attitudes are influenced by factors such as perceived confidentiality, the efficacy of the psychologist’s training, and fear of social repercussions. Understanding these nuances is essential for developing effective public health campaigns and clinical outreach programs designed to reduce barriers to care.

Construct

The BAPS scale measures attitudes toward psychological services across three distinct, yet interrelated, latent factors, which collectively define the construct of beliefs about professional help:

• Intent: This factor measures the individual’s personal inclination and willingness to use psychological services in the future or recommend them to others. It reflects a proactive attitude toward seeking professional support when facing significant life difficulties.
• Stigma Tolerance: This factor assesses the degree to which an individual fears or internalizes the social judgment (stigma) associated with receiving psychological treatment. Items related to this subscale explore feelings of weakness, embarrassment, or concern over confidentiality and external perception.
• Expertness: This factor evaluates the perception of psychologists’ competence, effectiveness, and professional value. It measures the belief that psychologists possess the necessary training, knowledge, and skills to provide valuable advice and solutions to problems.

Validity

The development of the BAPS scale included rigorous assessment of its psychometric properties, as detailed in the original 2009 publication. Initial validation efforts typically involved establishing construct validity through factor analysis, demonstrating that the items load appropriately onto the intended subscales (Intent, Stigma Tolerance, Expertness). Furthermore, researchers established concurrent validity by correlating BAPS scores with existing measures of attitudes toward counseling and general help-seeking behavior, showing expected patterns of association with related psychological variables.

The utilization of the BAPS in subsequent academic research, such as studies linking gender role conflict to help-seeking attitudes, further supports its predictive and criterion validity. The scale effectively distinguishes between individuals who hold positive versus negative beliefs, indicating that it accurately captures variance in the underlying theoretical construct.

Reliability

Reliability refers to the consistency and stability of the measurement. The initial psychometric evaluation of the BAPS scale demonstrated high internal consistency, typically measured using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. High alpha values across the total scale and its three subscales indicate that the items within each factor are highly correlated and reliably measure the intended construct.

While the specific alpha coefficients are detailed in the original article by Ægisdóttir and Gerstein (2009), the scale is generally recognized for its strong reliability, suggesting that the BAPS provides stable and dependable measurement of beliefs regarding psychological services across different administrations and populations.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the Beliefs About Psychological Services (BAPS) scale was established through detailed factor analysis, confirming a robust three-factor model. This analysis supported the conceptual division of the construct into Intent, Stigma Tolerance, and Expertness dimensions, providing strong evidence for the scale’s construct validity.

The factor structure guides the scoring methodology, where specific items are assigned exclusively to one of the three subscales. The Stigma Tolerance factor notably contains the largest number of items and requires reverse scoring for several items, reflecting the complex and often negative nature of beliefs related to the perceived weakness or shame associated with utilizing mental health services.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report attitude inventory

Format: 6-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 6 (Strongly Agree). The scale consists of 18 items.

Language Available: English (Original development language)

Population Group: General adult population and university students (as used in validation and subsequent research)

Age Group: Adults (18+)

Population Details: The scale is frequently used in research settings to assess attitudes toward professional counseling and therapy services in diverse groups.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their level of agreement or disagreement with 18 statements concerning psychological services. Scoring involves summing item scores within the three subscales (Intent, Stigma Tolerance, Expertness), with specific items (5, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17) being reverse-scored to maintain conceptual consistency across the factors.

Keywords

psychological assessment, counseling psychology, attitudes, mental health utilization, scale development, psychometric properties, help-seeking behavior

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Beliefs About Psychological Services (BAPS) scale was developed and published in 2009. For standard academic use, permissions should be sought from the primary authors or the journal, Counselling Psychology Quarterly. The instrument text itself was included in a publicly available master’s thesis, suggesting general accessibility for research purposes, though formal permissions for reproduction or commercial use should always be secured.

The instrument was included on page 105 of the M.A. thesis, “The Relationship between Gender Role Conflict and Attitudes towards Help-Seeking: What is the Role of Maladaptive Coping?” by David F. Adams (2010).

The original thesis containing the instrument is available online, which may serve as a useful resource for researchers. The source document can be accessed here: https://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/123456789/193356.

Reference’s

• Ægisdóttir, S., & Gerstein, L. H. (2009). Beliefs about psychological services (BAPS): Development and psychometric properties. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 22(2), 197-219.
• Adams, D. F. (2010). The Relationship between Gender Role Conflict and Attitudes towards Help-Seeking: What is the Role of Maladaptive Coping? M.A. thesis, Ball State University, Muncie, Indiana.

Items of the Beliefs About Psychological Services (BAPS)

Scoring Note: Items 5, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, and 17 are reverse-scored.

Subscale Breakdown:

• Intent: items 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 12
• Stigma Tolerance: items 5, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18
• Expertness: items 7, 9, 14, 16

Scale Items:

1. If a good friend asked my advice about a serious problem‚ I would recommend that he/she see a psychologist.
2. I would be willing to confide my intimate concerns to a psychologist.
3. Seeing a psychologist is helpful when you are going through a difficult time in your life.
4. At some future time‚ I might want to see a psychologist.
5. I would feel uneasy going to a psychologist because of what some people might think.
6. If I believed I was ha‎ving a serious problem‚ my first inclination would be to see a psychologist.
7. Because of their training‚ psychologists can help you find solutions to your problems.
8. Going to a psychologist means that I am a weak person.
9. Psychologists are good to talk to because they do not blame you for the mistakes you have made.
10. ha‎ving received help from a psychologist stigmatizes a person’s life.
11. There are certain problems that should not be discussed with a stranger such as a psychologist.
12. I would see a psychologist if I were worried or upset for a long period of time.
13. Psychologists make people feel that they cannot deal with their problems.
14. It is good to talk to someone like a psychologist because everything you say is confidential.
15. Talking about problems with a psychologist strikes me as a poor way to get rid of emotional conflicts.
16. Psychologists provide valuable advice because of their knowledge about human behavior.
17. It is difficult to talk about personal issues with highly educated people such as psychologists.
18. If I thought I needed psychological help‚ I would get this help no matter who knew I was receiving assistance.