Psychometric development and evaluation of a COVID-19 social stigma scale in Indonesia

Abstract

Stigma remains a significant problem globally, creating barriers to services for individuals in need, regardless of access to services. The stigma of COVID-19 primarily happened because it is a new disease with several unknowns, and these unknowns generate fear. This study aimed to conduct a psychometric development and evaluate the Public COVID-19 Stigma Scale that follows the Indonesian community’s cultural background. This study used research and development design to measure the COVID-19 stigma through six steps that include seven dimensions and is culturally sensitive, starting from a literature review through to psychometric evaluation. This study was community based and was conducted in 26 regions in the Sumedang Regency. The research and development step ran from July 2021 to November 2022, with a total of 1,686 respondents. The results showed that the social stigma scale for COVID-19 consisted of 11 valid and reliable items that were separated into seven dimensions: social distancing (1 item), traditional prejudice (7 items), exclusionary sentiments (2 items), negative affect (2 items), treatment carryover (1 item), disclosure carryover (2 items), and perception of dangerousness (1 item). Further research needs to be conducted to examine the level of stigma and determine interventions to overcome the social stigma around COVID-19 in the community.