Table 2.
Frequencies for 15 stigma questionnaire items and factor loadings and final decisions from Principal Components Analysis (PCA)
| Number (percent) of responses to item | PCA loading by component* | Resulting Component | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strongly Disagree | Disagree | Neither Agree nor Disagree | Agree | Strongly Agree | Enacted Stigma | Internalized stigma | ||
| 1 Doctors/medical providers have said critical or insulting things to me about my drug use | 8 (4.9) | 61 (37.4) | 9(5.5) | 49 (30.1) | 36 (22.1) | 0.941 * | −0.153 | Enacted |
| 2 I have been very upset by comments that doctors/medical providers have made about my drug use | 7 (4.3) | 61 (37.2) | 12 (7.3) | 41 (25.0) | 42 (25.6) | 0.976 * | −0.110 | Enacted |
| 3 I feel that I have been treated disrespectfully by the medical profession because of my drug use | 10 (6.1) | 62 (37.8) | 8 (4.9) | 37 (22.6) | 47 (28.7) | 0.887 * | −0.013 | Enacted |
| 4 Doctors/medical providers have tried to scare me into quitting drugs by warning me about health risks associated with being a drug user | 8 (4.9) | 39 (23.8) | 8 (4.9) | 59 (36.0) | 50 (30.5) | 0.49. | 0.243 | — |
| 5 I feel that I cannot speak freely with doctors/medical providers about my drug use | 17 (10.4) | 51 (31.3) | 10 (6.1) | 33 (20.2) | 52 (31.9) | 0.511 | 0.243 | — |
| 6 I feel that doctors/medical providers don’t treat drug users as nicely as they do non drug users | 10 (6.1) | 33 (20.1) | 7 (4.3) | 36 (22.0) | 78 (47.6) | 0.539 | 0.241 | — |
| 7 Doctors/medical providers have told me I need to quit using drugs without my ask ing them | 4(2.5) | 25 (15.3) | 11 (6.7) | 58 (35.6) | 65 (39.9) | 0.390 | 0.436 | — |
| 8 If I relapsed, doctors/medical providers criticized me for not trying harder | 11 (6.8) | 57 (35.2) | 20 (12.3) | 30 (18.5) | 44 (27.2) | 0.766 * | 0.127 | Enacted |
| 9 I feel that most doctors/medical providers don’t understand how difficult it is to be a drug user | 7 (4.4) | 20 (12.5) | 4(2.5) | 46 (28.8) | 83 (51.9) | 0.291 | 0.525 | — |
| 10 When I go for medical care, I feel as though I try to hide my drug use | 6 (3.7) | 38 (23.3) | 7 (4.3) | 42 (25.8) | 70 (42.9) | −0.144 | 0.941* | Internalized |
| 11 When I go for medical care, I feel that I am embarrassed or ashamed about being a drug user | 7 (4.3) | 35 (21.5) | 12 (7.4) | 48 (29.4) | 61 (37.4) | −0.132 | 0.933 * | Internalized |
| 12 I do not want to disclose my drug use to a doctor/medical provider | 8 (4.9) | 33 (20.1) | 16 (9.8) | 40 (24.4) | 67 (40.9) | −0.079 | 0.823 * | Internalized |
| 13 I feel my doctor/medical provider is afraid of me | 31 (19.1) | 69 (42.6) | 26 (16.0) | 15 (9.1) | 21 (13.0) | 0.651* | −0.040 | Enacted |
| 14 I do not feel welcome at the doctor’s/medical provider’s office | 17 (10.4) | 66 (40.5) | 25 (15.3) | 23 (14.1) | 32 (19.6) | 0.734* | 0.001 | Enacted |
| 15 I feel respected by my doctor/medical provider | 20 (12.4) | 23 (14.3) | 49 (29.2) | 55 (34.2) | 16 (9.9) | −0.346 | 0.059 | — |
Items were retained within the component under which the loading is bolded and with asterisk; items with unbolded loadings (4–7 and 9, 15) were omitted from final scales