Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the IPV Internalized Stigma Scale

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Public Health

Background:

• Self-stigma, the internalization of negative societal attitudes, can be a significant barrier for individuals experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV).
• A lack of validated measurement tools for IPV self-stigma hinders research and clinical intervention.
• Existing scales often fail to capture the nuances of self-stigma across diverse populations and IPV circumstances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the IPV Internalized Self-stigma Scale (IPVIS) to address the measurement gap.
• To create a reliable and valid instrument for assessing self-stigma in diverse IPV survivor populations.
• To facilitate research and clinical practice by providing a comprehensive measure of IPV self-stigma.

Main Methods:

• Development of the IPV Internalized Self-stigma Scale (IPVIS) through item pool generation and refinement.
• Recruitment of a diverse sample (N=455) encompassing various relationship types, IPV circumstances, and identities via online survey.
• Statistical analysis using factor analysis and item response theory (IRT) to establish scale properties and validity.

Main Results:

• The final 11-item IPVIS demonstrated high internal consistency (ω=0.90) and strong psychometric properties.
• Factor analysis and IRT confirmed a unidimensional structure with informative items.
• The IPVIS showed measurement invariance across demographic groups and significant correlations with related psychological constructs.

Conclusions:

• The IPV Internalized Self-stigma Scale (IPVIS) is a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring self-stigma in intimate partner violence.
• The scale is suitable for diverse populations, enhancing its utility in research and clinical settings.
• IPVIS provides a valuable tool for identifying and addressing self-stigma as a barrier to help-seeking among IPV survivors.