Stigma in Mexican patients with Lung Cancer: Psychometric Properties of the Cataldo Lung Cancer Stigma Scale (CLCSS) - Brief version

Introduction. Stigma in lung cancer patients may be associated with various negative outcomes such as increased psychosocial symptoms, severity of physical symptoms, and may act as a barrier to medical help-seeking behavior. The Cataldo Lung Cancer Stigma Scale (CLCSS) is one of the most widely used instruments for assessing health-related stigma in lung cancer patients. Objectives. To determine the psychometric properties of the CLCSS in a Mexican sample of lung cancer patients. Methods. A non-experimental, instrumental design was employed, using non-probabilistic sampling based on availability. The sample included 265 lung cancer patients. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess construct validity, and Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega were used for internal consistency and test-retest reliability, respectively, through Pearson correlation coefficient. Results. The 17-item version yielded a model with 4 factors (stigma and shame, social isolation, discrimination, and smoking) explaining 50.74% of the variance, with adequate values of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Significance of results. The Mexican version of the CLCSS is culturally appropriate, brief, psychometrically valid, and reliable for assessing health-related stigma in Mexican lung cancer patients.