Genital Herpes Perceived Severity Scales – GHPSS
Measures the perceived social, psychological, and familial severity of contracting genital herpes.
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.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 19 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Fear Scale, Family Impediment Scale, Emotional Response 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 Response Scale | 13,14,15,16,17,18,19 | 7 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly Disagree (Fear) / Not difficult at all (Family) / Would not react (Emotional), 2 = Disagree (Fear) / Mildly feel (Emotional), 3 = Slightly Disagree (Fear) / Moderately feel (Emotional), 4 = Slightly Agree (Fear) / Strongly experience (Emotional), 5 = Agree (Fear), 6 = Strongly Agree (Fear) / Very difficult (Family).
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 1 to 6. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Perceived Severity: 1 – 2
- Moderate Perceived Severity: 3 – 4
- High Perceived Severity: 5 – 6
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Fear Scale alpha: .73-.83; Family Impediment Scale alpha: .73-.81; Emotional Response Scale alpha: .75-.82.
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.