Endometriosis-related stigmatisation – The Endometriosis Stigma Scale
Internally funded project
Start date : 01.10.2023
Project details
Short description
Endometriosis is a chronic gynaecological condition that affects around 10% of women of reproductive age. Common symptoms include ongoing pelvic pain, severe pain before or during periods, and pain during sex. Many people with endometriosis encounter stigmatisation. For example, they report that their pain isn’t taken seriously, either by doctors or by others in their daily lives and is often dismissed as “normal.” This kind of stigmatisation is linked to lower quality of life and reduced self-esteem. Until now, there has not been a good questionnaire to measure the stigmatisation experienced by people with endometriosis. The aim of our project is to develop such a questionnaire and test its quality. After that, we will translate it into English and re-examine its properties, to enable international use.
Scientific Abstract
This project aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess endometriosis-related stigmatisation. An initial pool of items was generated by the research team and refined through feedback from individuals with endometriosis, resulting in a 16-item scale. The scale’s psychometric properties were examined in a validation study, demonstrating promising results. Based on these findings, the questionnaire was translated into English. The second study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the English version to allow for international use.
