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

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.

Keywords:

• internalized AIDS stigma
• AIDS stigma
• people living with AIDS
• coping with HIV/AIDS

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grants R01-MH71164 and R01-MH74371 from the US National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to Seth Kalichman, and grants from the British Department for International Development (DFID), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and The Netherlands Government's Department of Foreign Affairs’ Division of Research and Communication (DGIS) to Leickness Simbayi.