Validation of the Health-Related Felt Stigma and Concealment Questionnaire

Stigma is associated with many health conditions, including chronic pain. Research on health-related stigma is limited by the lack of validated instruments that distinguish among various stigma-related constructs. We aimed to develop and validate such a measure for pediatric functional abdominal pain (FAP). Felt stigma (FS) was defined as comprising both perceived and internalized stigma. Stigma concealment (SC) was defined as efforts by stigmatized individuals to prevent others from learning of their condition.

Using a theory-driven approach, we adapted items from existing self-report measures of stigma to construct the health-related FS and Concealment Questionnaire (FSC-Q). Patients with FAP (N = 179, ages 11-17) completed the preliminary FSC-Q and health-related measures hypothesized to be associated with stigma. Cognitive interviewing and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) informed the final version of the measure.

EFA identified a 2-factor model comprised of FS and SC. The FS and SC scales exhibited good internal consistency and construct validity. Consistent with study hypotheses, both factors were significantly associated with anxiety, depression, pain catastrophizing, pain threat, physical symptoms, and pain interference/disability. Higher FS was associated with higher mental healthcare utilization. The subset of participants meeting criteria for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) reported higher FS and SC compared with those without IBS.

The FSC-Q may help advance research on health-related stigma in FAP and other chronic health conditions by allowing for assessment of distinct stigma-related constructs.