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Stigma Measures |
Measuring Stigma Excerpted from Evidence-based Generic Tools for Operational Research on HIV, Carla Makhlouf Obermeyer (ed.), 2008 (forthcoming), Geneva: World Health Organization. This toolkit focuses on quantitative methods of measuring stigma. Validated quantitative tools have the potential to provide standardized data on stigma and discrimination that can be compared across cultural and epidemiological contexts, as well as across programs. However, purely quantitative studies can miss rich and nuanced information that can be tapped using qualitative methods. “Triangulating” both quantitative and qualitative data can provide a more complete picture of stigma in a particular study, explain behaviors, or detect unintended consequences of interventions. The types of questions that can be best answered through qualitative research are different from those that are typically answered using quantitative methods. Rather than measuring the extent of stigma, or testing hypotheses about the amount of change associated with an intervention strategy, qualitative methods are well suited to add contextual information or explore reasons why certain quantitative results were found. Examples of relevant qualitative research questions include:
To answer these questions, a study might utilize focus groups or in-depth interviews with community members, local officials, or other key informants. Other creative, qualitative data collection methods (e.g., people living with HIV diaries, mapping, story-telling) can also be quite useful.
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Measures for inappropriate fear of contagion and resulting avoidance of people living with HIV |
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Working Report Measuring HIV Stigma: Results of a Field Test in Tanzania |
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