• Heidi Willemse, Rinie Geenen, and Nancy E Van Loey.
• Association of Dutch Burn Centres, P.O. Box 1015, 1940 EA Beverwijk, The Netherlands; Department of Clinical Psychology, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80140, 3508 TC Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: h.m.a.willemse@uu.nl.
• Burns. 2021 Sep 1; 47 (6): 1381-1388.

ObjectiveBurn scars can attract attention from others which can be perceived as stigmatizing behavior with negative psychological consequences. The Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire (PSQ) is a validated instrument measuring the perception of stigmatization in burn survivors. The objective of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the PSQ, specifically its factor structure, reliability, and associations with other relevant constructs.MethodPatients (N = 220) completed the PSQ at 3 months after burn. The factor structure was examined with explorative (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analyses at 3 and 12 months after burn, and reliability was examined using Cronbach's alpha. Three months measurements were used to examine associations of the PSQ with 'depressive mood' (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI-II), 'interpersonal relations' and 'body image' (Burn Specific Health Scale-Brief, BSHS-B), and two scales of the Illness Invalidation Inventory (3*I).ResultsA four factor model showed the best fit to the data. Two factors, 'confused/staring behavior' and 'hostile behavior', were identical to the original PSQ. The third original factor, 'absence of friendly behavior', was now divided into two factors separating absence of friendly behavior of strangers and other people. Internal consistency ranged from .60 to .88. Especially the 'confused/staring behavior' factor was related to the other questionnaire scores.ConclusionThe current study shows acceptable reliability and structural validity of the Dutch version of the PSQ in a 4-factor solution. Further research into measurement invariance across languages is recommended to establish a uniform multicultural instrument.Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

16 keywords...

hide…