A Scale Proposal for COVID-19-related Social Stigmatization: The Psychometric Properties of the COVID-19 Stigmatization Scale

Background: Social stigmatization is one of the most important results of the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the present study is to develop a measurement tool for assessing COVID-19-related stigma. Materials and Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 324 participants who were formerly diagnosed with COVID-19. Measurement regarding the validity of the COVID-19 Stigmatization Scale was evaluated with exploratory analysis. Results: Females accounted for 50.3% (n = 163) of the participants, and the mean age of the participants was 35.35  11.23 . The internal consistency coefficient of the scale was 0.95. The internal consistency coefficients of the subscales were .92 for “anticipatory anxiety”, .90 for “external stigmatization,” .89 for “negative self-image,” .84 for “contagion anxiety,” .90 for “disclosure anxiety,” and .87 for “internal stigmatization.” The total variance explained by the scale was 61.96%. Conclusions: The findings indicated that the COVID-19 Stigmatization Scale, consisting of 44 items in six subscales, is a valid measurement tool for COVID-19 related social stigma.