Debt Secrecy

Name: Debt Secrecy
Creator: Moorhouse, M., Goode, M., Cotte, J., & Widney, J.
Published: 2023
License: https://psychometricscales.com/methodology.html

Hiding Information About One's Debt Situation From Others

5 items 2023 α 0.84 (Study 1) Free Moorhouse, M., Goode, M., Cotte, J., & Widney, J.

What it measures

This scale measures how much a person conceals their debt situation from friends and family to prevent others from finding out. Moorhouse, Goode, Cotte, and Widney (2023) used it across all six primary studies examining anticipated stigmatization and debt concealment.

Scale items

I keep my consumer debt a secret.
I do not discuss my debt with friends.
I do not discuss my debt with family members.
I feel like I can be open about my financial situation with others. (reverse-scored)
I feel like I can be transparent about my experience with debt. (reverse-scored)

Citation

Moorhouse, Michael, Miranda Goode, June Cotte, and Jennifer Widney (2023), "Helping Those That Hide: Anticipated Stigmatization Drives Concealment and a Destructive Cycle of Debt," Journal of Marketing Research, 60 (6), 1135-1153.

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