Preliminary psychometric evaluation of the micro-condescension scale for individuals in substance use treatment

AbstractBackground: Stigma and discrimination are often experienced by individuals going through substance use treatment, and can influence treatment seeking, retention, and outcomes including long-term recovery.Aims: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Micro-Condescension Scale (MCS), a newly developed tool to measure individuals’ perceptions of microlevel stigma and discrimination for seeking substance use treatment or being in recovery.Methods: The MCS was administered to individuals (n = 90) at the beginning and end of a mindfulness treatment program implemented in a substance use treatment facility in Southern California. Principal components analysis was used to evaluate the factor solution and psychometric analyses were applied to investigate reliability and validity of the MCS.Results: The principal component analysis yielded a single factor solution for the 12-item scale. Cronbach's alpha was 0.93 at treatment entry (pretest) and 0.91 at treatment exit ...