Psychometric Properties of the Berger HIV Stigma Scale: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Addressing HIV-related stigma requires the use of psychometrically sound measures. However, despite the Berger HIV stigma scale (HSS) being among the most widely used measures for assessing HIV-related stigma, no study has systematically summarised its psychometric properties. This review investigated the psychometric properties of the HSS. A systematic review of articles published between 2001 and August 2021 was undertaken (CRD42020220305) following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Additionally, we searched the grey literature and screened the reference lists of the included studies. Of the total 1241 studies that were screened, 166 were included in the review, of which 24 were development and/or validation studies. The rest were observational or experimental studies. All the studies except two reported some aspect of the scale’s reliability. The reported internal consistency ranged from acceptable to excellent (Cronbach’s alpha ≥ 0.70) in 93.2% of the studies. Only eight studies reported test–retest reliability, and the reported reliability was adequate, except for one study. Only 36 studies assessed and established the HSS’s validity. The HSS appears to be a reliable and valid measure of HIV-related stigma. However, the validity evidence came from only 36 studies, most of which were conducted in North America and Europe. Consequently, more validation work is necessary for more precise insights.

Measuring stigma associated with hepatitis B virus infection in Sierra Leone: Validation of an abridged Berger HIV stigma scale

“…Survey questionnaire and stigma instrument development were informed by our experiences gained from interactions with PWHB in the clinical and community settings in Sierra Leone, our preliminary work describing the epidemiological, clinical, and social aspects of the HBV epidemic in Sierra Leone 11,29–33 and the broad literature on measuring HIV‐related stigma, 34,35 which has been adapted to inform studies in understanding HBV‐related stigma 4,5 …”

Development and psychometric validation of new questionnaires assessing experienced discrimination and internalised stigma among people with Covid-19

“…( 2001 ), whereas for the self-stigma scale were drawn from Sayles et al . ( 2008 ), which represent the most frequently used measures in the literature for assessing, respectively, HIV related experienced stigma and self-stigma (Earnshaw and Chaudoir, 2009 ; McAteer et al ., 2016 ; Wanjala et al ., 2021 ). Moreover, for both experienced discrimination and self-stigma, items were also drawn from Visser et al .…”

“…On the other hand, a series of psychometrically tested scales designed to assess stigma in people with HIV/AIDS were found which represented the basis for item generation in the present study. Specifically, items for the experienced discrimination scale were drawn from Berger et al (2001), whereas for the self-stigma scale were drawn from Sayles et al (2008), which represent the most frequently used measures in the literature for assessing, respectively, HIV related experienced stigma and self-stigma (Earnshaw and Chaudoir, 2009;McAteer et al, 2016;Wanjala et al, 2021). Moreover, for both experienced discrimination and self-stigma, items were also drawn from Visser et al (2008), who developed three parallel stigma scales to assess personal views of HIV related stigma.…”

Measuring Stigma Associated with Hepatitis B Virus Infection in Sierra Leone: Validation of an Abridged Berger HIV Stigma Scale

“…Survey questionnaire and stigma instrument development was informed by our experiences gained from interactions with PWHB in the clinical and community settings in Sierra Leone, our preliminary work describing the epidemiological, clinical and social aspects of the HBV epidemic in Sierra Leone [11,[29][30][31][32][33] and the broad literature on measuring HIV-related stigma [34,35], which has been adapted to inform studies in understanding HBV-related stigma [4,5].…”