Table 3 Factor loadings from the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the confirmatory model respecified (CFA2)
From: The images of psychiatry scale: development, factor structure, and reliability
Factor | EFA 1 | CFA 2 | CFA2 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
(N = 343) | (N = 415) | (N = 419) | |
Factor 1: Image of Psychiatry | |||
1. Psychiatry is unscientific. (R) | .41 | .72 | .52 |
2. Psychiatry is not a genuine and valid branch of medicine. (R) | .51 | .56 | .60 |
3. Psychiatric treatments are not evidence-based. (R) | .47 | .75 | .64 |
4. There is very little psychiatrists can do for their patients. (R) | .57 | .63 | .53 |
5. Psychiatric hospitals are little more than prisons. | .48 | .45 | .52 |
6. Most psychiatrists are not clear, logical thinkers. | .60 | .45 | .58 |
7. Psychiatrists are not good role models for medical students. | .71 | .73 | .70 |
8. Psychiatrists are difficult to talk to. | .69 | .48 | .50 |
9. Psychiatrists are not attentive enough to physiology. | .71 | .28 | -- |
10. Psychiatry is filled with people whose medical skills are of low quality. (R) | .71 | .60 | .57 |
11. Psychiatry has low prestige among other medical disciplines. (R) | .51 | .37 | -- |
12. Students who could not obtain a residency position in other specialties eventually end up in psychiatry. (R) | .48 | .09 | -- |
13. Students are generally attracted to psychiatry because of their own personal problems. (R) | .47 | .34 | -- |
14. My colleagues generally speak well of psychiatry. | .41 | .39 | -- |
15. Entering psychiatry is a waste of medical education. (R) | .67 | .76 | .58 |
16. Psychiatry is so vague and imprecise it cannot really be taught effectively. (R) | .56 | .63 | .58 |
Eigenvalue | 7.3 | ||
Alpha | .83 | .83 | .82 |
Factor 2: Efficacy of Psychiatry | |||
1. Psychiatry is a rapidly expanding frontier of medicine. | .66 | .49 | .66 |
2. Psychiatric treatments are as effective as treatments in other branches of medicine. | .48 | .47 | .57 |
3. Most people who receive psychiatric treatment find it helpful. | .58 | .57 | .61 |
4. I would encourage a bright student to enter psychiatry. | .42 | .36 | -- |
5. Working with psychiatric patients is rewarding. | .52 | .51 | .54 |
6. Psychiatric patients are highly appreciative of the care they receive. | .51 | .66 | .42 |
7. Psychiatric teaching at this medical school is of the highest quality. | .48 | .19 | -- |
8. Students at this medical school think that their psychiatric training has been valuable. | .60 | .34 | -- |
Eigenvalue | 2.3 | ||
Alpha | .68 | .61 |