Establishment of the Japanese version of the dementia stigma assessment scale

Reducing stigma against dementia is a global challenge, but the assessment scale is not well established. We examined the validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the assessment scale of public stigma against dementia.

This study recruited 819 adults aged 20-69 years (mean age = 45.9 years; 52.0% females) through an internet survey, and 34 community-dwelling adults aged 20-78 years (mean age = 45.8 years; 55.9% females). Participants completed the Japanese version of the assessment scale of dementia stigma developed by Phillipson et al., with forward and back translations. In the internet survey sample, exploratory factor analysis was performed to verify factorial validity, and correlations with ageism and dementia attitudes were examined to test the concurrent validity. In the community sample, test-retest reliability was evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between two responses with a two-week interval.

Factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure: "personal avoidance," "fear of labeling," "person centeredness," and "fear of discrimination" (Cronbach's α = 0.892, 0.840, 0.879, 0.829, respectively). Personal avoidance, fear of labeling, and fear of discrimination were positively correlated with ageism (r = 0.598, 0.214, 0.369) and negatively correlated with dementia attitudes (r = -0.745, -0.453, -0.475); person centeredness was inversely correlated with ageism (r = -0.322), but positively correlated with dementia attitudes (r = 0.537), showing good concurrent validity. The scale showed acceptable test-retest reliability (ICCs = 0.67-0.80).

The Japanese version of the assessment scale of public stigma against dementia was established with good concurrent validity and adequate reliability. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 790-796.