VALIDATION OF THE SELF-STIGMA QUESTIONNAIRE OF DEPRESSION IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE USERS

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Self-Stigma of Depression Scale (SSDS) in
patients undergoing Primary Care treatment between April 2023 and September 2024. Materials and
methods: Instrumental study using a non-probabilistic sample of 320 patients aged 18-78 years, who were
diagnosed with depressive disorder. Four dimensions were proposed: shame, guilt, social maladjustment,
and barriers to seeking help, with a total of sixteen items. Convergent validity was assessed using the
Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Inventory (ISMI), and symptom severity was evaluated using the
Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Linguistic adaptation involved correlation analysis, exploratory factor
analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and internal consistency. Results: The EFA identified a bifactorial structure of 14 items. The CFA showed an adequate model fit (?2= 188.271; df= 76; p= 0.001; CFI= 0.98; TLI= 0.98; RMSEA= 0.076 and SRMR= 0.073). The scale showed adequate internal consistency (?=0.83; ?=0.85). Conclusion: The bifactorial version of the Self-Stigma of Depression Scale has adequate psychometric properties for its use with the Chilean population.