Attitudes and opinions of Human Resources personnel towards the work capacities of people with mental disorders: creation of a scale and analysis in three cities

Introduction. Work activity constitutes a pillar of well-being and self-identification for everyone, including those with mental disorders (MD) wishing to access and maintain competitive jobs. Human Resources (HR) professionals constitute essential mediators, capable of preventing discrimination, and facilitating the inclusion of those with mental disorders (MD) in the labor market. Objectives. 1) Describe the attitudes and opinions of HR personnel from companies in Guadalajara, Puebla and Mexico City (CDMX) towards people with MD. 2) Create a scale to measure the attitudes and opinions of HR personnel regarding the work capacity of people with MD. Method. This is an observational, analytical, prospective, and cross-sectional study with 62 participants, using the Community Attitudes to Mental Illness Scale (CAMI) and the Opinions about Mental Illness Scale (OMI). In addition, the authors developed and validated a measurement tool called Opinions about the Work Capacity of People with Mental Disorders Scale (OCAL-TM). Results. The findings revealed no significant variations between cities on any of the three scales. The OCAL-TM scale, validated and comprising 10 items, demonstrated high reliability (α = .874). Discussion and conclusion. The study identified negative perceptions regarding the work capacities of individuals, which can translate into stigma and discrimination. This points to the need to provide mental health information to HR personnel to foster greater tolerance and workplace inclusion.