What is it about?
This study focuses on adapting and validating a set of questionnaires called the RAPID Stigma Scales, originally developed by Oxford University, so they work accurately in Thai and Burmese languages and cultural contexts. We focus on two groups: Thai men who have sex with men (MSM) experiencing stigma related to mpox, and Myanmar migrants experiencing stigma related to COVID-19. The process has two phases. First, professional translators convert the questionnaires into Thai and Burmese, experts review them for cultural fit, and community members are interviewed to check that the questions make sense. Second, the adapted questionnaires are tested with 400 participants (200 per community) using statistical methods to confirm they reliably measure stigma. The result will be the first validated stigma measurement tools ready for rapid deployment during future outbreaks in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
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Why is it important?
Stigma is one of the most damaging — yet least measured — forces during infectious disease outbreaks. Existing tools take up to two years to develop for each new disease, making them useless during active outbreaks when stigma is at its worst. The RAPID Scales overcome this by being designed for use across multiple outbreaks and diseases from the start. This study is the first to adapt and validate these cross-outbreak stigma tools in Southeast Asia. By creating culturally appropriate Thai and Burmese versions, health authorities will be able to deploy them rapidly during future outbreaks to identify stigma-related barriers to care in real time — and design targeted interventions to address them. The methodology also provides a replicable model for similar adaptations across the region.
Perspectives
This work sits at the intersection of two things I care deeply about: rigorous measurement science and health equity for communities that are often left behind during health emergencies. Adapting tools that can actually be used during an outbreak — not after — feels like a meaningful step toward more responsive and compassionate public health systems. I hope these instruments help researchers and health workers in Thailand and across Southeast Asia respond faster and more humanely the next time a crisis strikes.
Dr. Smith Boonchutima
Chulalongkorn University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the (Re)-emerging and ePidemic Infectious Diseases Stigma Scales in Thailand: A Study Protocol, Wellcome Open Research, February 2026, Faculty of 1000, Ltd.,
DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.26014.1.
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