Assessing HIV/AIDS stigma in south India: validation and abridgement of the Berger HIV Stigma scale

AIDS Behav. 2013 Jan;17(1):434-43. doi: 10.1007/s10461-011-0128-3.

Abstract

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.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison
  • Culture
  • Depression / psychology*
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • HIV Infections / ethnology
  • HIV Infections / psychology*
  • Humans
  • India / epidemiology
  • Interviews as Topic
  • Language
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Rural Population
  • Social Stigma*
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Stereotyping*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires*
  • Young Adult