Depression literacy and misconceptions scale (DepSter): a new two-factorial tool for measuring beliefs about depression

StatusVoR
Simple item page
cris.lastimport.scopus2025-12-16T04:10:59Z
dc.abstract.enBackground Depression literacy has received extensive attention within mental health research. It has been studied by different social groups and professions in Western and non-Western cultures. The importance of this topic stems from the fact that depression literacy is strongly related to attitudes toward people who are diagnosed with depression, the tendency to stigmatize this mental disorder, and to the propensity to undertake help-seeking behaviors. Therefore, understanding and promoting depression literacy is crucial in contemporary mental health prevention and promotion. We propose a new two-factorial tool measuring beliefs about depression. This 14-item self-report measure captures how people vary across two dimensions of beliefs about depression—depression literacy and misconceptions about depression. Methods In ten studies with a total sample of over 4,600 participants from three countries, we demonstrated the two-factorial structure of the Depression Literacy and Misconceptions Scale (DepSter) in Polish (Studies 1 and 2), American (Study 4), and British (Study 5) samples. We showed measurement equivalence for the Polish and English versions of the scale (Study 3). Furthermore, we tested the discriminant meaning of the two dimensions of beliefs about depression analyzing its association with health literacy, mental health literacy, and prejudice toward people with mental illness (Study 4), depression literacy and depression stigma (Study 5), empathetic concerns (Study 7), social dominance orientation (Study 8), and the Big Five personality traits (Study 9). We also investigated whether individuals with formal education in psychology and direct or indirect experience with depression demonstrate a higher level of depression literacy and a lower level of misconceptions about depression (Study 6). Our measure showed high stability for two dimensions of beliefs about depression (Study 10), in both its Polish and English versions, with the measurement conducted after three weeks and three months. Discussion We conclude that the proposed approach to beliefs about depression capturing both depression literacy and misconceptions about depression measured with the DepSter scale can easily be applied in clinical and social settings, especially in studies concerning the perception of those diagnosed with depression.
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii we Wrocławiu
dc.affiliationInstytut Psychologii
dc.contributor.authorKulwicka, Katarzyna
dc.contributor.authorGąsiorowska, Agata
dc.date.access2023-05-01
dc.date.accessioned2025-10-17T06:53:26Z
dc.date.available2025-10-17T06:53:26Z
dc.date.created2023-04-18
dc.date.issued2023-05-01
dc.description.abstract<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec> <jats:title>Background</jats:title> <jats:p>Depression literacy has received extensive attention within mental health research. It has been studied by different social groups and professions in Western and non-Western cultures. The importance of this topic stems from the fact that depression literacy is strongly related to attitudes toward people who are diagnosed with depression, the tendency to stigmatize this mental disorder, and to the propensity to undertake help-seeking behaviors. Therefore, understanding and promoting depression literacy is crucial in contemporary mental health prevention and promotion. We propose a new two-factorial tool measuring beliefs about depression. This 14-item self-report measure captures how people vary across two dimensions of beliefs about depression—depression literacy and misconceptions about depression.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Methods</jats:title> <jats:p>In ten studies with a total sample of over 4,600 participants from three countries, we demonstrated the two-factorial structure of the Depression Literacy and Misconceptions Scale (DepSter) in Polish (Studies 1 and 2), American (Study 4), and British (Study 5) samples. We showed measurement equivalence for the Polish and English versions of the scale (Study 3). Furthermore, we tested the discriminant meaning of the two dimensions of beliefs about depression analyzing its association with health literacy, mental health literacy, and prejudice toward people with mental illness (Study 4), depression literacy and depression stigma (Study 5), empathetic concerns (Study 7), social dominance orientation (Study 8), and the Big Five personality traits (Study 9). We also investigated whether individuals with formal education in psychology and direct or indirect experience with depression demonstrate a higher level of depression literacy and a lower level of misconceptions about depression (Study 6). Our measure showed high stability for two dimensions of beliefs about depression (Study 10), in both its Polish and English versions, with the measurement conducted after three weeks and three months.</jats:p> </jats:sec><jats:sec> <jats:title>Discussion</jats:title> <jats:p>We conclude that the proposed approach to beliefs about depression capturing both depression literacy and misconceptions about depression measured with the DepSter scale can easily be applied in clinical and social settings, especially in studies concerning the perception of those diagnosed with depression.</jats:p> </jats:sec>
dc.description.accesstimeat_publication
dc.description.grantnumber2019/33/N/HS6/00833
dc.description.granttitleEfekt etykietowania a zachowania prospołeczne w stosunku do członków grupy obcej na przykładzie osób z diagnozą depresji
dc.description.issue1
dc.description.physical1-20
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume23
dc.identifier.doi10.1186/s12888-023-04796-8
dc.identifier.issn1471-244X
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/1854
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-023-04796-8
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOPEN_JOURNAL
dc.subject.enBeliefs about depression
dc.subject.enDepression literacy
dc.subject.enMisconceptions about depression
dc.subject.enSocial perception
dc.subject.enDepression
dc.swps.sciencecloudnosend
dc.titleDepression literacy and misconceptions scale (DepSter): a new two-factorial tool for measuring beliefs about depression
dc.title.journalBMC Psychiatry
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle