Validation of the Persistent Somatic Symptom Stigma scale for Healthcare Professionals (PSSS-HCP)

Persistent somatic symptoms (PSS) describe recurrent or continuously occurring symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, or pain that have persisted for at least several months. These include single symptoms such as chronic pain, combinations of symptoms, or functional disorders such as fibromyalgia or irritable bowel syndrome. While many studies have explored stigmatisation by healthcare professionals toward people with PSS, there is a lack of validated measurement instruments. We recently developed a stigma scale, the Persistent Somatic Symptom Stigma scale for Healthcare Professionals (PSSS-HCP). The aim of this study is to evaluate the measurement properties (validity and reliability) and factor structure of the PSSS-HCP.