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Development and Psychometric Assessment of a Multidimensional Measure of Internalized HIV Stigma in a Sample of HIV-positive Adults

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Abstract

There is a need for a psychometrically sound measure of the stigma experienced by diverse persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA). The goal of this study was to develop and evaluate a multidimentional measure of internalized HIV stigma that captures stigma related to treatment and other aspects of the disease among sociodemographically diverse PLHA. We developed a 28-item measure of internalized HIV stigma composed of four scales based on previous qualitative work. Internal consistency reliability estimates in a sample of 202 PLHA was 0.93 for the overall measure, and exceeded 0.85 for three of the four stigma scales. Items discriminated well across scales, and correlations of the scales with shame, social support, and mental health supported construct validity. This measure should prove useful to investigators examining in the role of stigma in HIV treatment and health outcomes, and evaluating interventions designed to mitigate the impacts of stigma on PLHA.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grants from the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmfAR) and the California HIV Research Program (CHRP) Network For AIDS Research in Los Angeles (NARLA). The contributions of Elaine Williams, PhD, Tracy Horn, and Natalie St. Cyr are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, UCLA, 911 Broxton Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90024, USA

    Jennifer N. Sayles, Ron D. Hays, Karen L. Spritzer & William E. Cunningham

  2. RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA

    Ron D. Hays

  3. Division of Geriatrics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Catherine A. Sarkisian

  4. UCLA/Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Anish P. Mahajan

  5. Department of Health Services, UCLA School of Public Health, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    William E. Cunningham

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  1. Jennifer N. Sayles
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  2. Ron D. Hays
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  4. Anish P. Mahajan
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  5. Karen L. Spritzer
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  6. William E. Cunningham
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Correspondence to Jennifer N. Sayles.

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Sayles, J.N., Hays, R.D., Sarkisian, C.A. et al. Development and Psychometric Assessment of a Multidimensional Measure of Internalized HIV Stigma in a Sample of HIV-positive Adults. AIDS Behav 12, 748–758 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-008-9375-3

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