Instrument details

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Instrument Title

Berger HIV Stigma Scale

View PDF - HIV Stigma Scale_Berger.pdf

Source Article

Berger, B. E., Ferrans, C. E., Lashley, F. R. (2001). Measuring Stigma in People with HIV: Psychometric Assessment of the HIV Stigma Scale. Research in Nursing & Health, 24: 518-529

Response Options

Strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree

Scoring:

  1. Items are scored as follows:
    • strongly disagree = 1
    • disagree = 2
    • agree = 3
    • strongly agree = 4


    • If a subject selects a response in between two options (e.g.: between SD and D), a numerical value midway between the two options would be used (e.g.: 1.5)
  2. Two items are reverse-scored: items 8 and 21
  3. After reversing these two items, each scale or subscale’s score is calculated by simply adding up the raw values of the items belonging to that scale or subscale. Subscale designations appear in small print in the far right margin of the instrument; it may be desirable to cover or delete those numbers before reproducing the instrument for administration to subjects. Sixteen items belong to more than one subscale, reflecting the intercorrelations of the factors on which the subscales are based.

Survey Items

  1. In many areas of my life, no one knows I have HIV (2)
  2. I feel guilty because I have HIV (3)
  3. People’s attitudes about HIV make me feel worse about myself (3)
  4. Telling someone I have HIV is risky (2,4)
  5. People with HIV lose jobs when employers find out (4)
  6. I work hard to keep my HIV a secret (2,3)
  7. I feel I am not as good a person as others because I have HIV (3)
  8. I never feel ashamed of having HIV (3)
  9. People with HIV are treated like outcasts (4)
  10. Most people believe a person who has HIV is dirty (4)
  11. It is easier to avoid new friendships than worry about telling someone that I have HIV (2,3,4)
  12. Having HIV makes me feel unclean (3)
  13. Since learning I have HIV, I feel set apart and isolated from the rest of the world (1,3,4)
  14. Most people think a person with HIV is disgusting (4)
  15. Having HIV makes me feel I’m a bad person (3)
  16. Most people with HIV are rejected when others find out (1,4)
  17. I am very careful who I tell that I have HIV (2)
  18. Some people who know I have HIV have grown more distant (1)
  19. Since learning I have HIV, I worry about people discriminating against me (2,4)
  20. Most people are uncomfortable around someone with HIV (4)
  21. I never feel the need to hide the fact I have HIV (.2)
  22. I worry that people may judge me when they learn I have HIV (2,4)
  23. Having HIV in my body is disgusting to me (3)
  24. I have been hurt by how people reacted to learning I have HIV (1)
  25. I worry people who know I have HIV will tell others (2)
  26. I regret having told some people that I have HIV (1)
  27. As a rule, telling others that I have HIV has been a mistake (1,3,4)
  28. People avoid touching me once they know I have HIV (1,4)
  29. People I care about stopped calling after learning I have HIV (1)
  30. People have told me that getting HIV is what I deserve for how I lived my life (1,4)
  31. Some people close to me are afraid others will reject them if it becomes known I have HIV (1)
  32. People don’t want me around their children once they know I have HIV (1,4)
  33. People have physically backed away from me when they learn I have HIV (1,4)
  34. Some people act as though it is my fault I have HIV (1,4)
  35. I have stopped socializing with some people because of to their reactions to my having HIV (1)
  36. I have lost friends by telling them I have HIV (1)
  37. I have told people close to me to keep the fact that I have HIV a secret (2)
  38. People who know I have HIV tend to ignore my good points (1,3,4)
  39. People seem afraid of me once they learn I have HIV (1,3,4)
  40. When people learn you have HIV, they look for flaws in your character (1,4)

Internal Reliability

Coefficient alphas between .90 and .93 for the subscales and .96 for the 40-item instrument provided evidence of internal consistency reliability. Test-retest correlations supported the temporal stability of the overall instrument and the subscales

Validity

Construct validity also was supported by relationships with related constructs: self-esteem, depression, social support, and social conflict.

Google Scholar

View article on Google Scholar

Terms Of Use

Individuals may use this information for research or educational purposes only and may not use this information for commercial purposes. When using this instrument, please cite:

Berger, B. E., Ferrans, C. E., Lashley, F. R. (2001). Measuring Stigma in People with HIV: Psychometric Assessment of the HIV Stigma Scale. Research in Nursing & Health, 24: 518-529

When presenting results using any survey information you obtained from the SABI, please acknowledge the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Center for AIDS Research (CFAR), an NIH funded program P30 AI50410.