Abstract: Objective: To analysis the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Epilepsy Self-Stigma Scale Methods: The Epilepsy Self-Stigma Scale was translated, culturally adapted and pre-surveyed to form the Chinese version of the Epilepsy Self-Stigma Scale. Two hundred and seventy-five epilepsy patients who were treated in the neurology departments of three tertiary grade A hospitals in Hunan province from September to October 2023, and met the inclusion criteria were selected as the subjects. The reliability and validity of the scale was tested. Results: The Chinese version of the ESSS included 3 dimensions and 8 items. The content validity of the items from 0.875 to 1.000, and the content validity of the scale was 0.969. Exploratory factor analysis extracted three common factors, with a cumulative variance explained rate of 90.7%. The results of the validation factor analysis showed the overall model fit was good. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.907. The retest reliability was 0.924. Conclusion: The Chinese version of the Epilepsy Self-Stigma Scale has good reliability and validity. It can be used to assess self-stigma of epilepsy patients in China.

Key words: epilepsy; self-morbidity shame; Chinese version; reliability; validity