Translation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Infertility Stigma Consciousness Questionnaire

Infertility and resulting stigma are of the challenges in reproductive health. This study was conducted with the aim of psychometric evaluation of the perceived stigma scale in infertile women. The present methodological research with cross-sectional design was carried out on 200 women who refer to Isfahan Fertility and Infertility Center, Iran, in 2018. The original English version of the stigma consciousness questionnaire (SCQ) was translated into Persian version using the back translation method. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods were used to determine the construct validity, as well as Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient to determine the reliability of the questionnaire. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis determined three factors that explained 57.09% of the total variance. The goodness of fit of the three factors model was confirmed based on standard indices. Moreover, the reliability of the SCQ was confirmed with Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.72 and intra-cluster correlation of 0.97 [Confidence interval (CI) of 95%: 0.68-0.99]. Based on appropriate psychometric properties, the SCQ could be used in future studies in infertile people as a valid and reliable scale.