BACKGROUND: Stigma is a barrier to care for people affected by TB and HIV in Uganda, where these conditions remain endemic. While scales have been adapted and validated to measure stigma among TB-affected households in Uganda, there is a need for scales that measure the experiences of persons with TB (PWTB).
METHODS: We adapted the Van Rie 12-item individual perspectives TB scale and 10-item individual perspectives HIV scale for use in Uganda through cross-cultural discussions with a multidisciplinary research team and four cognitive interviews with community health workers and PWTB. We then conducted a cross-sectional study administering each scale to 125 PWTB. We performed exploratory factor analysis, evaluated internal validity, and assessed convergent validity with perceived social support.
RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis yielded a one-factor solution for both scales, with marginal model fit (standardised root mean square residual = 0.09 for TB, = 0.07 for HIV). There was evidence of convergent validity through a positive correlation of the TB (r = 0.22, p = 0.01) and HIV stigma (r = 0.22, p = 0.01) scales with perceived social support. Both scales had good internal validity (Cronbach’s α = 0.86 for TB, = 0.87 for HIV).
CONCLUSION: Adapted scales to measure perceived HIV and TB stigma among PWTB in Uganda demonstrated promising psychometric properties by removing one and two items, respectively.
Adaptation and validation of perceived HIV and TB stigma scales among persons with TB
International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 29 (3), 127-134. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.24.0497.