本研究旨在設計一份問卷以測量社區助人者對精神疾病的瞭解程度，並評估其做為成果評測工具時之效度。50項二分題之「精神疾病瞭解度問卷」編製後給300位社區助人者試測，試題分析後保留40項試題。40項試題經主要成份因素分析顯示出9個因素，其中有5個因素似具有價值判斷之成份。問卷之效度證據顯示：問卷可區分與精神病人接觸經驗及專業訓練程度不同的七組社區助人者。問卷可區辨接受及未接受精神醫學訓練之各組社區助人者（公衛護士，以及護生）。問卷做為成果評測工具之效度亦獲得支持：問卷對三組社區助人者（二組公衛護士及一組衛生所醫師）於前測及後測間的改變具敏感度。草屯療養院對衛生所醫師及公衛護士的訓練效果亦做進一步的探討。本研究之應用及限制亦予以討論。

This study suports to design a questionnaire measuring the community helpers' comprehension about psychiatric illness and to evaluate its validity when used as an outcome instrument. The Comprehension of Psychiatric Illness Questionnaire (CPI), consisted of fifty dichotomous items was written and pretested with a sample of three hundred community helpers. Forty items were retained after an thorough item analysis procedure. Using principal-component factor analysis with these forty items, nine factors had been manifested and five out of them seemed to be loaded with value judgement. The validity of the Questionnaire (CPI) were evidenced by its discrimination among seven groups of community helpers with various level of contact experiences with psychiatric patients and professional training. The Questionnaire also significantly differentiated these community helpers (public health nurses, and student nurses) who had received various period of psychiatric training from their counterparts who had not. The validity of the Questionnaire as an outcome instrument was also demonstrated by showing its sensitivity to the changes between the pre- and post-test among three groups of community helpers (two groups of public health nurses and one group of health center doctors). The effects of the psychiatric training offered by the Tsoatun Mental Hospital for the groups of health center doctors and public health nurses were furtherly explored. The implications and limitations of this study were also discussed.