title: Perceived HIV-Associated Stigma among HIV-Seropositive Men: Psychometric Study of HIV Stigma Scale.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the internal consistency and factor structure of the abridged Spanish version of the Berger HIV Stigma Scale (HSS-21), to provide evidence for its convergent and discriminant validity, and to describe perceived stigma in an urban population from northeast Mexico.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) were recruited. Participants answered the Spanish versions of three Likert-type scales: HSS-21, Robsenberg's self-esteem scale, and the abbreviated version of the Zung's Depression Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HSS-21 showed high reliability and validity; its factor structure included four components: concern with public attitudes; negative self-image; disclosure concerns; and enacted stigma. The level of stigma was high in 27 out of 75 (36%) participants; nevertheless, the score found in the component related to disclosure concerns indicated high level of stigma in 68% of participants. The score of HSS-21 was positively correlated with the score of depression and negatively correlated with the score of self-esteem.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results demonstrated high reliability for the HSS-21; correlations with other scales supported its validity. This scale demonstrated to be a practical tool for assessing stigma among Mexican HIV-positive MSM. High level of stigma was found only in the factor related to disclosure concerns.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Identifying HIV-associated stigma through a short, reliable, and validated instrument will allow the development of interventions that cope and manage stigma in HIV-positive MSM. HSS-21 distinguishes between different dimensions of stigma and will contribute to a better understanding of this phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Medical and Health Sciences Program, Department of Basic Sciences, Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey , Monterrey , Mexico.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Valle
authors.affiliation: Medical and Surgical Dentist Program, Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey , Monterrey , Mexico.
authors.forename: Ana Cecilia
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Treviño
authors.affiliation: Doctoral Program in Social Sciences, Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey , Monterrey , Mexico.
authors.forename: Farith Francisco
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Zambrano
authors.affiliation: Management and Human Resources, Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey , Monterrey , Mexico.
authors.forename: Karla Elizabeth
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Urriola
authors.affiliation: Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Universidad de Monterrey , San Pedro Garza García , Mexico ; Secretaria de Salud de Nuevo León, Nuevo Leon State Council for AIDS Prevention (COESIDA NL) , Monterrey , Mexico.
authors.forename: Luis Antonio
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Medical and Health Sciences Program, Department of Basic Sciences, Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey , Monterrey , Mexico ; Doctoral Program in Biotechnology, Biopharmaceuticals and Biopharmaceutical Engineering, Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey , Monterrey , Mexico ; Doctoral Program in Dentistry, Research in Dentistry, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya , Barcelona , Spain.
authors.forename: Jesus Eduardo
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Elizondo
keywords: AIDS; HIV; Mexico; men who have sex with men; psychometrics; public health; social stigma; validation studies