Attitudes Toward Ex-Prisoners (ATEP) Scale: A Scale Development and Validation Study
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https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10036897Keywords:
attitude scale, Validity, Reliability, ex-prisoners, ex-prisoner reentryAbstract
The present study aimed to develop a reliable and valid assessment tool, the Attitudes Toward Ex-prisoners (ATEP) scale, to measure individuals' attitudes toward ex-prisoners. A total of 276 women and 166 men (Mage = 24.36, SD = 4.90) participated in the study. Participants completed an 80-item questionnaire designed to gauge attitudes toward ex-prisoners. Through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, a 4-factor, 26-item model emerged as the best representation of the ATEP scale. The identified factors were labeled as Social Interaction (9 items), Compassion (6 items), Social Support (6 items), and Condemnation (5 items). To assess the internal consistency of each subscale, Cronbach alpha coefficients were computed, demonstrating satisfactory reliability with values of .90 for Social Interaction, .78 for Compassion, .76 for Social Support, and .75 for Condemnation. The results of the study confirmed the reliability and validity of the ATEP scale. The scale demonstrated robust psychometric properties, allowing researchers to effectively measure and understand attitudes toward ex-prisoners
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