Effects of Stigma on the Relationship Between Perceived Social Support and Sexual Satisfaction Among Breast Cancer Survivors

Psychometric validation of the 8-Item Urdu Stigma Scale for Chronic Illness (SSCI-8) in people with Parkinson's disease

OBJECTIVES

Disease-related stigma is associated with poor mental health and wellbeing in people with Parkinson's disease. Urdu language tools for measuring stigma are not yet available. The aim of this study was therefore to develop and validate an Urdu version of the Stigma Scale for Chronic Illness-8 (SSCI-8).

METHOD

The Urdu SSCI-8 was developed following the 'Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy' translation procedure. To assess its reliability and validity, 250 people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, aged 50-65 years, completed the Urdu SSCI-8, along with Urdu versions of depression and quality of measures.

RESULTS

Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed that a single factor solution provided a good fit to the data, with high internal consistency (Cronbach Alpha = 0.95), and good fit indices (RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.99, TLI = 0.98, GFI = 0.96). Composite Reliability Co-efficient (0.95) and Average Variance Extracted (0.71) values indicated strong convergent reliability and validity. Scores on the Urdu SSCI-8 correlated positively with depression (r = 0.53, p < 0.001), and negatively with quality of life (r = -0.61, p < 0.001), indicating high levels of convergent and discriminant validity.

CONCLUSION

The Urdu SSCI-8 is a reliable, valid, and culturally appropriate tool for measuring stigma among patients with Parkinson's disease.

The effect of perceived social support and health literacy on parental COVID-19 vaccine hesitation in preschool children: a cross-sectional study

Children are generally susceptible to COVID-19, and infection with COVID-19 may cause serious harm to children. COVID-19 vaccination is an effective way to prevent infection at present, and many factors affect children's COVID-19 vaccination. This study aimed to explore the effects of perceived social support and health literacy on hesitancy towards first and second vaccine dose. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Minhang District of Shanghai, China, in October 2022. A total of 1150 parents of preschool children from 10 kindergartens participated. The survey encompassed four sections, capturing data on sociodemographic attributes, health literacy, perceived social support, and parental COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Health literacy was measured using a self-designed questionnaire consisting of four dimensions. Perceived social support was assessed using the MSPSS questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between the independent variables and parental hesitancy towards the first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccine. Parental hesitancy rate for the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was 69.6%, and for the second dose, it was 33.1%. The final integrated model showed that parental hesitancy towards the first and the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine was associated with parental educational level, allergy in children, information decision-making and information comprehension ability, perceived social support from family and friends. Health literacy and perceived social support are influence factors for parental hesitancy towards COVID-19 vaccine for preschool children. The findings will provide insights for future intervention studies on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and inform the development of vaccination policies.

The association between comorbidities and stigma among breast cancer survivors

This study aimed to explore the association between types and numbers of comorbidities and stigma among breast cancer survivors (BCSs). A cross-sectional study was conducted among 937 BCSs in Shanghai Cancer Rehabilitation Club. All participants were asked to fill in an online questionnaire including Stigma Scale for Chronic Illnesses 8-item version (SSCI-8) and questions on sociodemographic characteristics and health status. Multivariate linear regression was used to analyze the association between comorbidities and stigma, adjusting for confounding factors. Results showed that nearly 70% of the participants had one or more comorbidities. The participants with stroke, digestive diseases or musculoskeletal diseases had significantly higher stigma than those without the above comorbidities. In addition, stigma was higher among survivors in the group with a greater number of comorbidities. Thus, it is important to strengthen the management of stigma in BCSs, especially for those with comorbidities.