Psychometric evaluation of a person-centered opioid and opioid problems perception questionnaire (PC-OOPPQ)

Background: People with opioid use and opioid use–related problems are highly stigmatized groups. Negative attitudes and perceptions held by healthcare providers and the stigma that results are key barriers to treatment entry and treatment provision. A contemporary measure for assessing the attitudes and perceptions of healthcare providers toward this population is needed. Objective: The current study aims to examine the psychometric properties of an adapted person-centered opioid and opioid problems perception questionnaire (PC-OOPPQ). Methods: The adapted PC-OOPPQ psychometric properties were assessed using a nationwide online sample of practicing nurses (N = 493, 460 were female nurses). The sample was randomly divided to perform exploratory (EFA; n = 247) and confirmatory (CFA; n = 246) factor analyses. Results: Using the principal axis factoring (PAF) with orthogonal (Varimax) rotation, the EFA indicated a 19-item four-factor structure (without item # 16), which explained 70.2% of the total variance. Meanwhile, the CFA recommended an 18-item five-factor structure (without items # 14 and 16) that had the best model fit (Comparative Fit Index (CFI) =.938, the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) =.924, Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) =.055, and Root Mean Square Approximation (RMSEA) =.088)). Conclusions: Apart from one item (item # 16), the proposed five-factor structure is consistent with the person-centered drug and drug problems perception questionnaire factor structure. The current study aims to address stigma associated with opioid use among healthcare professionals using language.