The provider perception inventory: Psychometrics of a scale designed to measure provider stigma about HIV, substance abuse, and MSM behavior

Abstract

Nongay identified men who have sex with men and women (NGI MSMW) and who use alcohol and other drugs are a vulnerable, understudied, and undertreated population. Little is known about the stigma faced by this population or about the way that health service providers view and serve these stigmatized clients. The provider perception inventory (PPI) is a 39-item scale that measures health services providers’ stigma about HIV/AIDS, substance use, and MSM behavior. The PPI is unique in that it was developed to include service provider stigma targeted at NGI MSMW individuals. PPI was developed through a mixed methods approach. Items were developed based on existing measures and findings from focus groups with 18 HIV and substance abuse treatment providers. Exploratory factor analysis using data from 212 health service providers yielded a two dimensional scale: (1) individual attitudes (19 items) and (2) agency environment (11 items). Structural equation modeling analysis supported the scale's predictive validity (N=190 sufficiently complete cases). Overall findings indicate initial support for the psychometrics of the PPI as a measure of service provider stigma pertaining to the intersection of HIV/AIDS, substance use, and MSM behavior. Limitations and implications to future research are discussed.

Keywords:

• nongay identified men who have sex with men and women
• measures
• stigma
• service providers in Northeastern US
• drug abuse

Acknowledgements

Research for this paper was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (R03 DA024997-D2S1). Points of view in this paper do not necessarily represent the official position of the US Government, National Institute on Drug Abuse, nor National Development and Research Institutes. The authors wish to acknowledge the many contributions to this research made by the Training Institute at National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. and the New Jersey HIV Planning Group.