Tendency to Stigmatize Epidemic Diseases Scale: Scale Development and Validity Study

Abstract

Summary: Purposes: The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure stigma during epidemics among adults in nursing care and validate its psychometric properties. Methods: The preliminary items of the Tendency to Stigmatize Epidemic Diseases Scale scale were developed through a literature review, the Delphi technique, and content validity analysis. A total of 723 adults living in Turkey responded to the questionnaire from June to December 2021. The collected data were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis and confirmative factor analysis using SPSS and AMOS programs. Results: The experts agreed on 51 scale items, and 24 items were removed following exploratory factor analysis. On the 27-item scale, a five-factor structure was found with an eigenvalue >1, explaining 59.2% of the total variance. The overall Cronbach's α value was 0.88. Conclusions: This scale is a reliable and valid measurement tool for adults to determine their level of stigma during epidemics in nursing care. This scale helps develop interventions to improve the psychological health of adults in nursing care.

Keywords

• communicable diseases
• nursing care
• psychometrics
• social stigma
• validation study