HIV Activist Identity, Commitment, and Orientation Scale (HAICOS): Psychometric Evaluation to Assess Clinician’s Propensity Towards HIV Activism in Malaysia
Date
2024-05-28
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AIDS and Behavior
Abstract
HIV activism has a long history of advancing HIV treatment and is critical in dismantling HIV-related stigma. This study evaluated the psychometric quality of the HIV Activist Identity, Commitment, and Orientation Scale (HAICOS) to assess clinicians’ propensity towards HIV activism in Malaysia. From November 2022 to March 2023, 74 general practitioners and primary care physicians in Malaysia participated in the study. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) extracted an internally consistent three-factor solution with 13 items: (1) HIV activist identity and commitment, orientation towards (2) day-to-day, and (3) structural activism. The Cronbach’s alpha value was 0.91, and intra-class correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was 0.86. Stigma-related (prejudice and discrimination intent) and clinical practice (comfort in performing clinical tasks with key populations and knowledge about HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis) measures supported the construct validity of the scale. The study provided concise, structurally valid, and reliable measures to evaluate HIV activism among clinicians.
Resumen
El activismo del VIH tiene una larga historia de avanzar el tratamiento del VIH y es crítico para desmantelar el estigma relacionado al VIH. Este estudio evaluó la calidad psicométrica de la Escala de Identidad, Compromiso y Orientación de Activistas del VIH (HAICOS) para evaluar la propensión de los médicos hacia el activismo del VIH en Malasia. Desde noviembre del 2022 hasta marzo del 2023, 74 médicos generales y de atención primaria en Malasia participaron en este estudio. El análisis factorial exploratorio (AFE) extrajo una solución de tres factores internamente consistente con 13 ítems: (1) identidad y compromiso del activismo del VIH; orientación hacia (2) el activismo cotidiano y (3) el activismo estructural. El valor alfa de Cronbach fue de 0.91 y el coeficiente de correlación intraclase para la confiabilidad prueba-reprueba fue de 0.86. Las medidas relacionadas con el estigma (prejuicio e intención de discriminación) y la práctica clínica (comodidad realizando tareas clínicas con poblaciones claves y conocimiento sobre la profilaxis pre-exposición del VIH) respaldaron la validez de constructo de la escala. El estudio proporcionó medidas concisas, estructuralmente válidas y confiables para evaluar el activismo de VIH entre los médicos.
Description
This article was originally published in AIDS and Behavior. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-024-04381-4.
This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-024-04381-4.
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.
This article will be embargoed until 05/28/2025.
Keywords
HIV, activism, stigma, people with HIV, key populations, physicians
Citation
Chong, N., Azwa, I., Hassan, A.A. et al. HIV Activist Identity, Commitment, and Orientation Scale (HAICOS): Psychometric Evaluation to Assess Clinician’s Propensity Towards HIV Activism in Malaysia. AIDS Behav 28, 2780–2792 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-024-04381-4