Assessing HIV/AIDS stigma in south India: validation and abridgement of the Berger HIV Stigma scale
Jeyaseelan, L.; Kumar, S.; Mohanraj, R.; Rebekah, G.; Rao, D.; Manhart, L.E.
Aids and Behavior 17(1): 434-443
2013
ISSN/ISBN: 1573-3254 PMID: 22246514 DOI: 10.1007/s10461-011-0128-3Document Number: 572256
HIV-related stigma has been associated with depression, poor adherence, and nondisclosure of HIV-positive status, all of which can lead to increased transmission of HIV and poorer health outcomes for HIV-infected individuals. The Berger HIV Stigma scale has been used in multiple settings but never adapted and validated in India, home to the world's second largest HIV-infected population. We assessed the reliability and validity of a Tamil translation of the original 40-item scale, and conducted confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses to assess cultural appropriateness and abbreviate the scale. Reliability and validity were high (alpha = 0.91; test-retest reliability ICC = 0.89). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis resulted in an abridged 25-item version of the scale that possessed better psychometric properties than the 40-item version. This culturally validated, abridged HIV-Stigma scale can be used in busy clinical settings to identify individuals in need of psychosocial support and assess post-intervention changes in stigma in Southern India.
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