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Self-Stigma in Substance Abuse: Development of a New Measure

Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment volume 35, pages 223–234 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Little attention has been paid to the examination and measurement of self-stigma in substance misuse. This paper aims to fill this gap by reporting on the development of a new scale to measure self-stigma experienced by people who are misusing substances, the Substance Abuse Self-Stigma Scale. Content validity and item refinement occurred through an iterative process involving a literature search, focus groups, and expert judges. Psychometric properties were examined in a cross-sectional study of individuals (n = 352) receiving treatment for substance misuse. Factor analyses resulted in a 40-item measure with self devaluation, fear of enacted stigma, stigma avoidance, and values disengagement subscales. The measure showed a strong factor structure and good reliability and validity overall, though the values disengagement subscale showed a mixed pattern. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for studies of stigma impact and intervention.

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Affiliations

  1. Portland Psychotherapy Clinic, Research, and Training Center, 1830 NE Grand Ave., Portland, OR, 97211, USA

    Jason B. Luoma, Richard H. Nobles & Chad E. Drake

  2. University of Nevada, N. Virginia St., Reno, NV, 1664, USA

    Steven C. Hayes, Alyssa O’Hair & Lindsay Fletcher

  3. Department of Psychology/296, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, 89557, USA

    Steven C. Hayes, Alyssa O’Hair & Lindsay Fletcher

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Nevada School of Medicine, Mail Stop 0354, Reno, NV, 89557-0354, USA

    Barbara S. Kohlenberg

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  1. Jason B. Luoma
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  2. Richard H. Nobles
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  3. Chad E. Drake
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  4. Steven C. Hayes
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  5. Alyssa O’Hair
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  6. Lindsay Fletcher
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  7. Barbara S. Kohlenberg
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Correspondence to Jason B. Luoma.

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Luoma, J.B., Nobles, R.H., Drake, C.E. et al. Self-Stigma in Substance Abuse: Development of a New Measure. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 35, 223–234 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-012-9323-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-012-9323-4

Keywords

  • Stigma
  • Substance misuse
  • Psychometric
  • Measure development