Factorial analysis and psychometric properties of the revised Valencia scale of attitudes and beliefs towards hypnosis-client version

Psychometric properties and factorial structure of the Revised Valencia Scale of Attitudes and Beliefs toward Hypnosis – Client Version using a Portuguese sample are presented. Exploratory factor analysis on a Portuguese population of undergraduate college students (N = 444) yielded 8 factors: ‘Interest/Liking’, ‘Memory/Magic’, ‘Help’, ‘Control’, ‘Cooperation’, ‘Marginal’, ‘Fear’ and ‘Automaton’. The overall 8-factor structure is similar to the one found in the therapist version of the scale, and as in the therapist version, each factor of the client version showed good internal consistency and reliability. Differences among participants that had and had not experienced hypnosis previously were also assessed. The results indicated that participants with prior experience of hypnosis scored higher on factors indicating positive attitudes and accurate beliefs (‘Interest/Liking’, ‘Help’, ‘Control’ and ‘Cooperation’), whereas participants that had not experienced hypnosis scored higher in factors indicating misconceptions about hypnosis (‘Memory/Magic’, ‘Fear’, ‘Marginal’ and ‘Automaton’). These results indicate that the scale is sensitive to changes in attitudes and beliefs toward hypnosis brought about by the experience of hypnosis in a scientific context. Copyright © 2007 British Society of Experimental & Clinical Hypnosis. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.