A Newly Developed Scale for Assessing Experienced and Anticipated Sexual Stigma in Health-Care Services for Gay and Bisexual Men

Mei-Feng Huang, Yu-Ping Chang, Chung-Ying Lin () and Cheng-Fang Yen ()
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Mei-Feng Huang: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan
Yu-Ping Chang: School of Nursing, The State University of New York, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA
Chung-Ying Lin: Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
Cheng-Fang Yen: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80708, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-10

Abstract: Gay and bisexual men’s experiences and worries of sexual stigma by health-care providers may delay them from seeking health-care assistance. Our study developed the Experienced and Anticipated Sexual Stigma Scale in Health-care Services (EASSSiHS) and examined its psychometric properties. The six-item EASSSiHS was first developed on the basis of the results of focus group interviews with 24 participants. Parallel analysis was used to determine the number of factors. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to examine the factor structure. The internal consistency was examined using McDonald’s omega coefficient. Concurrent validity was examined using Pearson correlations with perceived sexual stigma from family and friends, depression, anxiety, and loneliness. The results of parallel analysis and EFA indicated that the factor structure of the EASSSiHS included two factors: experienced stigma and anticipated stigma. The result of CFA further confirmed the two-factor structure. The EASSSiHS had good internal consistency and acceptable concurrent validity. The anticipated stigma factor had stronger associations with perceived sexual stigma from family members and friends, depression, anxiety, and loneliness, when compared with the experienced stigma factor. The results of this study supported the psychometric properties of the EASSSiHS for assessing experienced and anticipated sexual stigma in health-care services among gay and bisexual men. The experience and worry of sexual stigma in health-care services were not rare among gay and bisexual men; therefore, interventions to enhance the cultural competency of health-care workers are urgently required.

Keywords: stigma; gay; bisexual; instrument; mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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