Adaptation and Validation of the Tuberculosis Related Stigma Scale in Portuguese

Objective: To adapt and validate the Tuberculosis Related Stigma Scale (TRSS) in European Portuguese. Materials and method: A methodological study in a sample of 204 individuals being treated for pulmonary tuberculosis in Portuguese Pulmonary Diagnostic Centers, with at least one month of treatment or in follow-up. The evaluation process of linguistic and conceptual equivalence involved translation, the consensus among judges, back-translation, semantic validation, and pre-testing of the TRSS. The scale’s psychometric properties were assessed by verifying the reliability and validity of the results and calculating Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and the exploratory factor analysis of principal components, with Varimax rotation of the scale items. Results: The Portuguese version of the TRSS has a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.94 and has 23 items distributed in two dimensions: “Community’s perspectives on tuberculosis” (11 items) and “Person’s perspectives on tuberculosis” (12 items). Its psychometric characteristics ensure adequate reliability and validity for the Portuguese population. Conclusions: The TRSS is a valid and reliable instrument to assess stigma in people with pulmonary tuberculosis and, to date, the only scale validated in this domain for the Portuguese population, which allows nurses to make an integrated intervention.