Stigma as a major barrier to human rights in health-care assessment: evaluating the psychometric properties of the substance use stigma mechanism scale

Purpose Stigma against people suffering from substance use disorders contributes to health disparities and impedes health-care and human rights efforts. There is substantive evidence to show that substance use stigma threatens the societal values of diversity, equality and inclusion, is a barrier to mental health and well-being and contributes to successful treatment and screening. It is a cultural phenomenon that varies by context, country and region. The majority of stigma instruments were developed in the west, resulting in a lack of instruments that are culturally relevant for the eastern context. This study aims to discuss the psychometric properties of cross-culturally adapted stigma measurement scales for the Urdu-speaking community. Design/methodology/approach The Urdu version was prepared using the standard back-translation method. The sample, selected through the purposive sampling method, is comprised of 200 adults with an age range of 18–60 years. The Cronbach’s alpha reliability and validity of the substance use stigma mechanism scale (SU-SMS) were assessed through exploratory factor analysis and Pearson correlation analyses. Findings Preliminary analysis revealed that the overall instrument had good internal consistency (Urdu SU-SMS α = 0.92; English SU-SMS α = 0.92) as well as test–retest correlation coefficients for 15 days (r = 0.95). The factor loading of all items ranged from 0.61 to 0.99, which explained the significance level and indicated the model’s overall goodness of fit. Originality/value This study investigates the effects of stigma associated with substance use disorders on human dignity, rights and language. Cross-cultural settings for health prevention, assessment and theory pay insufficient attention to stigma within the Urdu-speaking community, but this indigenous cross-cultural instrument can provide a new perspective.