Perceived stigmatization and social comfort: Validating the constructs and their measurement among pediatric burn survivors

Model System:

Reference Type:

Accession No.:

Journal:

Year, Volume, Issue, Page(s):

Publication Website:

Abstract:

Study implemented a four-step process to evaluate the measurement properties of the Perceived Stigmatization Questionnaire (PSQ) and the Social Comfort Questionnaire (SCQ) among long-term pediatric burn survivors. Participants included 369 pediatric and 347 adult burn survivors. First, a series of confirmatory factor analyses compared the hypothesized four-factor model comprising 3 PSQ factors (absence of friendly behavior, confused and staring behavior, and hostile behavior) and one social comfort factor to three other models. Second, the measurement invariance of both instruments was tested in a pediatric sample and compared to an adult sample. Third, possible differences in structural parameters across groups were tested. Fourth, the researchers tested whether the 3 perceived stigmatization factors and the social comfort factor loaded on one second-order factor. Results indicated that the four-factor model was superior to the comparison models. The PSQ and SCQ demonstrated measurement invariance. Factor variance, factor covariance, and the latent means of the PSQ did not vary across groups. The adult group had a significantly lower latent mean on the SCQ than the pediatric group. The three factors of the PSQ and the one-factor SCQ loaded on one second-order factor. The results of this study lend support to both the construct validity of perceived stigmatization and social comfort and the potential value of the PSQ and SCQ for studying the social experience of people with visible differences.

Author(s):

Participating Centers: