Naturism Stigma Scale: Adaptation of a Standardised Measure of Stigma Towards Naturism

Background: Stigma can have a significant impact on the lives of those inflicted, and stigmatisation can occur at any time when individuals commonly label behaviours and characteristics of others as offensive. Many attributes, such as homosexuality, ethnicity, race, and mental illness, have been exp...

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Main Authors: Kerem Kemal Soylemez, Joanne Lusher, Marina Rachitskiy
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Psychology International
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2813-9844/7/1/9
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author Kerem Kemal Soylemez
Joanne Lusher
Marina Rachitskiy
author_facet Kerem Kemal Soylemez
Joanne Lusher
Marina Rachitskiy
author_sort Kerem Kemal Soylemez
collection DOAJ
description Background: Stigma can have a significant impact on the lives of those inflicted, and stigmatisation can occur at any time when individuals commonly label behaviours and characteristics of others as offensive. Many attributes, such as homosexuality, ethnicity, race, and mental illness, have been explored using existing instruments. However, there are currently no standardised measures of stigma towards specific behaviours such as naturism. Naturism is the practice of public nudity without any intention of sexual stimulation. Though a global phenomenon, data suggest that almost seven million individuals in the UK alone identify as naturists. The rising figures of those engaging in stigmatised behaviour and the negative representations of this in the media contribute to the necessity for standardised instruments to measure stigma towards naturism. Method: The Naturism Stigma Scale (NSS) was adapted from the Depression Stigma Scale. This 18-item scale has two subscales which measure personal and perceived stigma. The sample consisted of 449 participants recruited by convenience sampling. Results: The analysis indicated that the scale had high reliability for both subscales (Personal Cronbach’s α = 0.91, Perceived Cronbach’s α = 0.93). It can be concluded that the NSS is a reliable psychometric instrument. Conclusions: Overall, this research assists in further understanding the stigma towards this minority group. Further research is necessary to explore the psychometric properties of NSS among different community samples.
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spelling doaj-art-8e22b98d1c174b3f8e2f5f5b14c6a7042025-08-20T03:43:55ZengMDPI AGPsychology International2813-98442025-02-0171910.3390/psycholint7010009Naturism Stigma Scale: Adaptation of a Standardised Measure of Stigma Towards NaturismKerem Kemal Soylemez0Joanne Lusher1Marina Rachitskiy2Department of Psychology, Regent’s University London, London NW1 4NS, UKDepartment of Psychology, Regent’s University London, London NW1 4NS, UKSchool of Psychology, University of Roehampton London, London SW15 5PH, UKBackground: Stigma can have a significant impact on the lives of those inflicted, and stigmatisation can occur at any time when individuals commonly label behaviours and characteristics of others as offensive. Many attributes, such as homosexuality, ethnicity, race, and mental illness, have been explored using existing instruments. However, there are currently no standardised measures of stigma towards specific behaviours such as naturism. Naturism is the practice of public nudity without any intention of sexual stimulation. Though a global phenomenon, data suggest that almost seven million individuals in the UK alone identify as naturists. The rising figures of those engaging in stigmatised behaviour and the negative representations of this in the media contribute to the necessity for standardised instruments to measure stigma towards naturism. Method: The Naturism Stigma Scale (NSS) was adapted from the Depression Stigma Scale. This 18-item scale has two subscales which measure personal and perceived stigma. The sample consisted of 449 participants recruited by convenience sampling. Results: The analysis indicated that the scale had high reliability for both subscales (Personal Cronbach’s α = 0.91, Perceived Cronbach’s α = 0.93). It can be concluded that the NSS is a reliable psychometric instrument. Conclusions: Overall, this research assists in further understanding the stigma towards this minority group. Further research is necessary to explore the psychometric properties of NSS among different community samples.https://www.mdpi.com/2813-9844/7/1/9naturismminority groupsstigma
spellingShingle Kerem Kemal Soylemez
Joanne Lusher
Marina Rachitskiy
Naturism Stigma Scale: Adaptation of a Standardised Measure of Stigma Towards Naturism
Psychology International
naturism
minority groups
stigma
title Naturism Stigma Scale: Adaptation of a Standardised Measure of Stigma Towards Naturism
title_full Naturism Stigma Scale: Adaptation of a Standardised Measure of Stigma Towards Naturism
title_fullStr Naturism Stigma Scale: Adaptation of a Standardised Measure of Stigma Towards Naturism
title_full_unstemmed Naturism Stigma Scale: Adaptation of a Standardised Measure of Stigma Towards Naturism
title_short Naturism Stigma Scale: Adaptation of a Standardised Measure of Stigma Towards Naturism
title_sort naturism stigma scale adaptation of a standardised measure of stigma towards naturism
topic naturism
minority groups
stigma
url https://www.mdpi.com/2813-9844/7/1/9
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AT joannelusher naturismstigmascaleadaptationofastandardisedmeasureofstigmatowardsnaturism
AT marinarachitskiy naturismstigmascaleadaptationofastandardisedmeasureofstigmatowardsnaturism