Open AccessGenital herpes stigma: Toward the measurement and validation of a highly prevalent yet hidden public health problem.
Author(s) -
Katie Wang,
Abigail Merin,
H. Jonathon Rendina,
John E. Pachankis
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
stigma and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2376-6972
pISSN - 2376-6964
DOI - 10.1037/sah0000067
Subject(s) - psychosocial , clinical psychology , genital herpes , stigma (botany) , cronbach's alpha , distress , psychology , public health , social stigma , herpes genitalis , scale (ratio) , confirmatory factor analysis , sex organ , medicine , psychiatry , psychometrics , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , family medicine , structural equation modeling , immunology , virus , mathematics , herpes simplex virus , biology , genetics , quantum mechanics , statistics , physics , nursing
Despite its highly prevalent and stigmatizing nature, genital herpes has received little attention from stigma researchers relative to other sexually transmitted infections. This limitation is of great relevance to researchers and practitioners in both clinical and healthcare settings, given that stigma can cause psychological distress and hinder disclosure to sexual partners, hence contributing to the spread of genital herpes. The present research developed and examined the psychometric properties of a quantitative measure of genital herpes stigma. Two hundred individuals diagnosed with genital herpes recruited through online genital herpes support groups completed a survey containing 37 items adapted from the HIV Stigma Scale, questions about demographic and herpes-related characteristics, and measures of relevant psychosocial variables. A confirmatory factor analysis yielded an 18-item scale with four factors: personalized stigma, disclosure concerns, negative self-image, and concern with public attitudes. All subscales demonstrated good internal consistency, with Cronbach alphas ranging from 0.74 to 0.87. Construct validity was supported by correlations with relevant psychosocial variables, including negative affect, rumination, and perceived social support. As a psychometrically sound assessment tool, the Genital Herpes Stigma Scale can be used in both clinical and research settings to facilitate future efforts to alleviate the negative psychological consequences of this incurable viral infection.