Conceptual development of an instrument to measure the internalized stigma of AIDS based on the Roy adaptation model

In this column the author describes the development of an instrument to measure internalized stigma of HIV/AIDS based on the self-concept adaptive mode of the Roy adaptation model. The Internalized Stigma of AIDS Tool is a 10-item instrument that is derived from the physical self (body sensation and image) and personal self (self-consistency, self-ideal and moral-ethical-spiritual self) as set forth by Roy. An overview of the Roy adaptation model and the theory of the person as an adaptive system illustrates how this instrument was derived.