Translation, cultural adaptation and validation of an Assamese version of the female infertility stigma instrument (ISI-F) among medically assisted reproduction (MAR) treatment seeking women in Assam, India.

OBJECTIVE

This study translates and validates an Assamese version of the Infertility Stigma Instrument-Female (ISI-F) among women seeking Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) in Assam, India.

METHODS

The translated ISI-F was administered among 188 Assamese-speaking women in two healthcare facilities. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), reliability assessment, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were carried out. Convergent validity was examined using Spearman correlations between ISI-F and the Fertility Quality of Life (FertiQOL) subscales.

RESULTS

EFA yielded a refined 15-item scale with four factors: Social Withdrawal, Perceived Social Pressure, Experienced Stigma, and Avoidant Coping, explaining 44.36% of the variance. The scale had acceptable reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.728; McDonald's ω = 0.911). CFA demonstrated a better fit to the four-factor Assamese model (RMSEA = 0.051; CFI = 0.92; TLI = 0.90) than the original ISI-F structure. ISI-F scores were significantly and negatively correlated with FertiQOL domains, supporting the convergent validity. Mean stigma score (44.6 ± 9.11) indicated moderate perceived infertility stigma.

CONCLUSIONS

The Assamese version of the ISI-F is a reliable and culturally appropriate tool for measuring infertility stigma among MAR treatment seekers in Assam, India. The revised factor structure reflects context-specific distinctions between social pressure, experienced stigma, and coping responses.