Coping with Stigma: Development and Initial Validation of Scale in Indian Context

Abstract

In the present study, a coping with stigma scale was developed and validated based on the responses from 328 individuals belonging to groups typically stigmatized in the Indian social context. The participants comprised of differently abled individuals (65), downtrodden (61), beggars (58), Leprosy patients (52), transgender individuals (previously called Eunuchs) (42) and widowed women (50). Data collection was based on convenience and snowball sampling. In case of most participants data collection was conducted at the place decided by them preferably at their residences, except for beggar participants who were approached in streets adjoining temples. The analysis was aimed towards investigating whether the proposed five factor structure provides an acceptable measurement model for the 14-item coping scale. CFA was employed to evaluate the goodness-of-fit of the five-factor model, using AMOS version 22. Results supported the validity of 5-factor structure of the scale, with dimensions of withdrawal,repair, acceptance, fatalism and fightback. Coping with stigma scale provides a reliable assessment of coping strategies used by individuals when faced with stigmatization and stress emanating from it. The study has implications for understanding how stigmatized groups differ in their coping strategies and which type of coping could be adaptive or maladaptive for each of these groups of individuals.