Stigma Consciousness Questionnaire – SCQ (Women’s Version)
Measures the extent to which individuals are conscious of their stereotyped status and expect to be stereotyped by others.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Stigma Consciousness Questionnaire – SCQ (Women’s Version) was developed by Elizabeth C. Pinel (1999). It is designed to measure Stigma Consciousness. The scale is intended for use with Women (adaptable for other marginalized groups).
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 10 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 7-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 7 = Strongly Agree).
The scale includes 7 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Item scores are averaged to produce a mean score.
Total scores range from 1 to 7. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low stigma consciousness: 1 – 3
- Moderate stigma consciousness: 3 – 5
- High stigma consciousness: 5 – 7
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha of .72 – .74 for women, .81 for gay men and lesbians.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.