Turkish validity and reliability study of the breast cancer stigma scale

ABSTRACT Nurten ŞİŞMAN, Turkish Validity and Reliability Study of the Breast Cancer Stigma Scale, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing Institute, Internal Medicine Nursing, Master's Thesis, Zonguldak, 2025 This methodologically and descriptively planned study aims to conduct the validity and reliability study of the Breast Cancer Stigma Scale in Turkish society. The study sample consisted of 150 patients who applied to the oncology and chemotherapy clinics of a university hospital, were diagnosed with breast CA, and met the inclusion criteria. The study data were collected using a 24-question personal information form questioning the patients' sociodemographic and disease-related characteristics, the Breast Cancer Stigma Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Breast Cancer-Specific Quality of Life Scale (EORTC QLQ- BR23), and face-to-face interview techniques. The language and content validity, criterion and discriminant validity, construct validity, and reliability analyses of the scale were carried out, respectively. Descriptive statistical methods (number, percentage mean, standard deviation), correlation analysis, T test, One Way ANOVA tests, Cronbach Alpha analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and Explanatory Factor Analysis were used in the analysis of the data. The content validity criterion was found to be 1.00 for the Content Validity Ratio. It was determined that the item-total test correlation values of the scale varied between 0.663 and 0.892. Cronbach alpha values for the sub-dimensions of the scale were calculated as follows; the Cronbach alpha coefficient for the self-image impairment (Sİİ) sub-dimension was 0.92, for the social isolation (Sİ) sub-dimension 0.70, for the discrimination(D) sub-dimension 0.78, for the internalized stigma (İS) sub-dimension 0.89, and the total scale Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.90. It was observed that the Turkish version of the scale fit well with the original model, thus confirming the 4-factor structure of the scale. The Breast Cancer Stigma Scale is a valid and reliable tool measuring stigma level in breast cancer patients in Turkish society. Keywords: Breast cancer, Stigma, Reliability, Validity, Nursing