Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Nov;2(4):326.
doi: 10.1037/sah0000056.

ADAPTING A STIGMA SCALE FOR ASSESSMENT OF TUBERCULOSIS-RELATED STIGMA AMONG ENGLISH/SWAHILI-SPEAKING PATIENTS IN AN AFRICAN SETTING

Diana Marangu  1   2 , Hannah Mwaniki  3 , Salome Nduku  4 , Elizabeth Maleche-Obimbo  2 , Walter Jaoko  5 , Joseph Babigumira  6 , Grace John-Stewart  6   7   8   9 , Deepa Rao  6
Affiliations

ADAPTING A STIGMA SCALE FOR ASSESSMENT OF TUBERCULOSIS-RELATED STIGMA AMONG ENGLISH/SWAHILI-SPEAKING PATIENTS IN AN AFRICAN SETTING

Diana Marangu et al. Stigma Health. 2017 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: To adapt a validated instrument that quantitatively measures stigma among English/Swahili speaking TB (tuberculosis) patients in Kenya, a high burden TB country.

Methods: Following ethical approval, we elicited feedback on the English and Swahili translated Stigma Scale for Chronic Illness (SSCI) tools through cognitive interviews. We assessed difficulties in translation, differences in meaning, TB contextual relevance, patients' acceptability to the questions, and issues in tool structure. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and translated. Open coding and thematic analysis of the data was conducted by two independent researchers.

Results: Between May and September 2015 we conducted a qualitative study among 20 adult TB patients attending 11 health facilities in Nairobi County, Kenya. Most questions were understood in both English and Swahili, deemed relevant in the context of TB and acceptable to TB patients. Key areas of adaptation of the SSCI included adding questions addressing fear of infecting others and death, HIV stigma, and intimate, family and workplace relationship contexts. Questions were revised for non-redundancy, specificity and optimized sequence.

Conclusion: The adapted 8-item SSCI appears to be a useful tool that may be administered by health workers in English or Swahili to quantify TB stigma among TB patients in Kenya.

Keywords: Kenya; Nairobi; TB; measuring stigma.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Factors Promoting TB Stigma and Factors Reducing TB Stigma
Figure 2
Figure 2
Internalized, Perceived and Enacted TB Stigma in Relation to Time
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Abuom TO, Bastiaanse R. Characteristics of Swahili-English bilingual agrammatic spontaneous speech and the consequences for understanding agrammatic aphasia. Journal of Neurolinguistics. 2012;25(4):276–293. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroling.2012.02.003. - DOI
    1. Chang SH, Cataldo JK. A systematic review of global cultural variations in knowledge, attitudes and health responses to tuberculosis stigma. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2014;18(2):168–173. i–iv. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.13.0181. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chowdhury MR, Rahman MS, Mondal MN, Sayem A, Billah B. Social Impact of Stigma Regarding Tuberculosis Hindering Adherence to Treatment: A Cross Sectional Study Involving Tuberculosis Patients in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh. Jpn J Infect Dis. 2015;68(6):461–466. doi: 10.7883/yoken.JJID.2014.522. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Christodoulou M. The stigma of tuberculosis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2011;11(9):663–664. - PubMed
    1. Courtwright A, Turner AN. Tuberculosis and stigmatization: pathways and interventions. Public Health Rep. 2010;125(Suppl 4):34–42. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources