Genital Herpes Perceived Severity Scales – GHPSS
Measures attitudes and perceived severity regarding contracting genital herpes, focusing on social, psychological, and family-related consequences.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Genital Herpes Perceived Severity Scales – GHPSS was developed by Jerrold Mirotznik (1991). It is designed to measure Perceived severity of genital herpes. The scale is intended for use with Adults, particularly single and sexually active young adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 19 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Fear Scale, Family Impediment Scale, Emotional Reaction Scale.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Fear Scale | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 | 7 |
| Family Impediment Scale | 8,9,10,11,12 | 5 |
| Emotional Reaction Scale | 13,14,15,16,17,18,19 | 7 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: Fear Scale (1-6) = 1 = Strongly disagree to 6 = Strongly agree, Family Impediment Scale (1-6) = 1 = Not difficult at all to 6 = Very difficult, Emotional Reaction Scale (1-4) = 1 = Not react with the emotion, 2 = Mildly feel the emotion, 3 = Moderately feel the emotion, 4 = Strongly experience the emotion.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha: Fear Scale (mean α = .80), Family Impediment Scale (mean α = .77), Emotional Response Scale (mean α = .77).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.