The cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the stigma scale for caring for individuals with sexually transmitted infections (STISS)-student version: a translation and validation study.

BACKGROUND

Stigmatization of patients with sexually transmitted infections remains prominent, whereas previous measurement tools have mostly focused on single-disease populations and lack a systematic assessment of the broader population of individuals with sexually transmitted infections.

OBJECTIVE

To translate the Stigma Scale for Caring for Individuals with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STISS) - Student Version and evaluate its reliability and validity among nursing students in China.

METHODS

This study recruited 413 nursing students through convenience sampling based on Kendall's sample size estimation method. The original version of the scale was translated according to the Brislin guidelines, and content validity and the feasibility of the translation were validated through expert consultation. Structural validity was assessed using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was tested using internal consistency reliability.

RESULTS

The Chinese version of the STISS scale demonstrated good psychometric properties. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.921. The four-factor exploratory factor model explained 58.947% of the total variance, indicating a robust factor structure. Confirmatory factor analysis showed the following fit indices: χ 2/df = 1.078; RMSEA = 0.019; CFI = 0.994; TLI = 0.993; GFI = 0.927; AGFI = 0.907. All indices were within acceptable ranges, and both convergent validity and discriminant validity were adequately confirmed.

CONCLUSION

This study strictly followed the Brislin translation model and successfully introduced the STISS scale, which demonstrated strong reliability and validity within the Chinese cultural context. It is highly suitable for measuring the level of stigmatization of individuals with sexually transmitted infections among nursing students in China.