Development of a brief scale to measure AIDS-related stigma in South Africa.
Although there has been progress in AIDS stigma research, there are no multi-item AIDS stigma scales that have been shown reliable and valid in Africa. The current research reports the development of the nine-item AIDS-Related Stigma Scale. Research conducted in five South African communities (N = 2306) found the scale internally consistent, alpha = 0.75 and time stable over 3 months, r = 0.67. The scale was also reliable in three different languages (English, Xhosa, and Afrikaans). Correlations showed that the AIDS-Related Stigma Scale was moderately inversely correlated with years of education and AIDS knowledge. In addition, individuals who stated that HIV positive persons should conceal their HIV status had higher AIDS-Related Stigma Scale scores. Also supporting the scale's construct validity, individuals who refused to report whether they had been tested for HIV scored higher on the AIDS-Related Stigma Scale.
Kalichman
Seth C
SC
Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, 06269, USA. seth.k@uconn.edu
Simbayi
Leickness C
LC
Jooste
Sean
S
Toefy
Yoesrie
Y
Cain
Demetria
D
Cherry
Chauncey
C
Kagee
Ashraf
A
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000523:psychology*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D011287:Prejudice; D011581:Psychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011639:Public Opinion; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013019:South Africa; D013223:Statistics as Topic