AIDSQuest: The HIV/AIDS Survey Library
Survey Summaries

HIV Stigma Scale

Overview
The HIV Stigma Scale was designed at the College of Nursing, University of Illinois at Chicago. It measures stigma perceived by people with HIV in the United States, and was developed based on the literature on stigma and psychosocial aspects of having HIV. The items that survived two rounds of content review were assembled in a booklet and distributed through HIV-related organizations in eight states. The 40 items of the HIV Stigma Scale focus on experiences, feelings, and opinions as to how people with HIV feel and how they are treated. The person with HIV responds to these items using a four-point scale to indicate level of agreement or disagreement.

Methodology/validity
Psychometric analysis was performed on 318 questionnaires (19 percent women, 21 percent African-American, 8 percent Hispanic). Four factors emerged from exploratory factor analysis: personalized stigma, disclosure concerns, negative self-image, and concern with public attitudes toward people with HIV. Construct validity was supported by relationships with related constructs: self-esteem, depression, social support, and social conflict. Coefficient alphas between .90 and .93 for subscales and .96 for the 40-item instrument provided evidence of internal consistency reliability. The HIV Stigma Scale was reliable and valid with a large, diverse sample of people with HIV.¹

¹ Berger, Barbara E., Carol E. Ferrans, and Felissa R. Lashley. 2001. "Measuring stigma in people with HIV: Psychometric assessment of the HIV stigma scale," Research in Nursing and Health 24: 518–529.

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This page updated 21 August 2006

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