Assessing sexual dimensions in Hispanic women. Development of an instrument

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a culturally sensitive sexual functioning instrument, the Sexual Dimensions Instrument for Hispanic Women (SDIHW). Using a vignette, the respondent indicated her level of agreement with 26 items that were developed by Hispanic and Anglo nurses/researchers and validated by a panel of clinical and instrument experts. It was translated into Spanish and back-translated; the reading level was at the sixth to seventh grade. The convenience sample consisted of 179 Hispanic women being treated for gynecologic cancer as outpatients. The typical respondent was 35-50 years of age, married, minimally acculturated, religious, and surviving for 1-3 years; she had three or more children, had less than a high-school education, and had little sexual activity in the past month. A three-factor scale with 22 items was determined to have conceptual clarity and moderate reliability (0.63-0.77). Factors included role (eight items), personal sexual satisfaction (eight items), and relationship (six items). The instrument was completed in Spanish by 60% of the respondents. Total and subscale scores were generally not influenced by demographic characteristics. The psychometric properties of the SDIHW indicate future research value. Moderate internal consistency, reliability, content, and construct validity were demonstrated. Achieving a better understanding of the Hispanic woman's perception of herself as a sexual being will aid the clinician in the development of culturally sensitive interventions.