Removing Stigmatizing Language in Self-Reports: Effects on Psychometric Properties and Respondent Beliefs.

Stigma facilitates negative outcomes for those with substance use disorders (SUDs), such as restricted healthcare access, job loss, and social ostracization. Many professionals advocate for reducing stigmatizing language in their conduct. However, there remains a notable degree of stigmatizing langu...

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Publicado en:International Journal of Mental Health & Addiction Vol. 23; no. 5; pp. 3416 - 3443
Autor principal: Stone, Bryant M.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Springer Nature Oct2025
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Oct2025
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        atl: Removing Stigmatizing Language in Self-Reports: Effects on Psychometric Properties and Respondent Beliefs.
      aug:
        au: Stone, Bryant M.
        affil: https://ror.org/00za53h95 Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 North Wolfe Street, 21205, Baltimore, MD, USA
      su:
        Social stigma
        Discriminatory language
        Public health
        Substance-induced disorders
        Social marginality
        Psychometrics
        Self-report inventories
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          Social stigma
          Discriminatory language
          Public health
          Substance-induced disorders
          Social marginality
          Psychometrics
          Health and Welfare Funds
          Self-report inventories
      keyword:
        Psychometric properties
        Stigma
        Stigmatizing beliefs
        Stigmatizing language
        Substance use disorders
        Psychometric properties
        Stigma
        Stigmatizing beliefs
        Stigmatizing language
        Substance use disorders
      ab: Stigma facilitates negative outcomes for those with substance use disorders (SUDs), such as restricted healthcare access, job loss, and social ostracization. Many professionals advocate for reducing stigmatizing language in their conduct. However, there remains a notable degree of stigmatizing language in self-report measures. Thus, I aimed to examine psychometric changes from replacing stigmatizing language in self-report measures and test if these changes affect the respondents' stigmatizing beliefs. I conducted a randomly assigned double-masked experiment with undergraduates (n = 125; M = 19.18, SD = 1.05; 62% female; 58% White), Reddit users (n = 224; M = 31.28, SD = 9.21; 58% male; 82% White), and Buddhist Recovery Network members (n = 136; M = 50.48, SD = 11.50; 61% male; 94% White). The participants completed either the original version of the Addictions Belief Inventory consisting of stigmatizing terms (e.g., drug abuser) or a modified version consisting of non-stigmatizing terms (e.g., those with SUDs). I found no changes to the psychometric properties when I compared the factor structures, distributions, and construct validities. There was a minor reduction in one subscale's internal consistency and a large change in the mean scores, which varied by sample type. Removing stigmatizing language did not change the measure's psychometric properties notably. However, I found that removing stigmatizing language reduces stigmatizing beliefs and that this reduction was substantial, especially for those who have no history of SUDs, such as some undergraduates or Reddit users. These findings support an ongoing effort to reduce stigmatizing language among professionals and academics.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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