Development and Psychometric Analysis of an Instrument to Assess Social Stigma Associated with Parkinson's Disease.

PURPOSE: To develop and report the psychometric properties of a comprehensive scale designed to measure stereotypes and attitudes of the general population towards people with Parkinson's disease (PwP).

METHODS

The development and analysis of the Parkinson's Disease Stigma Perception scale (PDSP) included four phases: 1) literature review, 2) item development, 3) tests of validity and reliability, and 4) dissemination of a preliminary version. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to explore underlying structures, and confirmatory factor analysis to test the model's fit.

RESULTS

Six (2%) of the 294 survey respondents were disqualified because of incomplete data. The mean age was 38.3±15.9 years, 70.1% were women, and mean education was 16.5±3.37 years. EFA identified three factors with eigenvalues >1 (social avoidance and negative attitudes, prejudice and discrimination, and stereotypes). A root mean square error of approximation of 0.07 indicated acceptable fit, while a comparative fit index of 0.90 suggested adequate fit. Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega yielded 0.74 and 0.83, respectively, with low floor effects (2.4%) and no ceiling effect. Item-total correlations ranged from 0.30 to 0.60 (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The PDSP demonstrated reliability and validity in assessing stigmatizing attitudes towards PwP. Future studies can further explore the scale's impact and its applicability across various contexts.