Measuring AIDS stigmas in people living with HIV/AIDS: the Internalized AIDS-Related Stigma Scale

TLDR

AIDS stigmas create significant barriers to HIV prevention, testing, and care and can become internalized by people living with HIV/AIDS. We developed a psychometric scale to measure internalized AIDS‑related stigmas among people infected with HIV. The scale consists of six dichotomous items adapted from a validated AIDS‑stigma test, reflecting self‑defacing beliefs and negative perceptions of people living with HIV/AIDS. In samples from South Africa, Swaziland, and the US, the scale showed good internal consistency (α = 0.75), moderate test–retest stability (r = 0.53), and evidence of convergent, discriminant, and criterion‑related validity, indicating it is reliable and valid for use with HIV‑positive populations across these regions.

Abstract

AIDS stigmas create significant barriers to HIV prevention, testing, and care and can become internalized by people living with HIV/AIDS. We developed a psychometric scale to measure internalized AIDS-related stigmas among people infected with HIV. Items were adapted from a psychometrically sound test of AIDS-related stigmas in the general population. Six items reflecting self-defacing beliefs and negative perceptions of people living with HIV/AIDS were responded to dichotomously, Agree/Disagree. Data collected from people living with HIV/AIDS in Cape Town South Africa (n=1068), Swaziland (n=1090), and Atlanta US (n=239) showed that the internalized AIDS Stigma Scale was internally consistent (overall alpha coefficient=0.75) and time stable (r=0.53). We also found evidence in support of the scale's convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related validity. The Internalized AIDS-Related Stigma Scale appears reliable and valid and may be useful for research and evaluation with HIV-positive populations across southern African and North American cultures.