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Cited by 53Psychometric Methodologies and TestingHIV/AIDS Research and InterventionsAttachment and Relationship Dynamics

A Systematic Review of the Psychometric Properties of the Sexual Relationship Power Scale in HIV/AIDS Research

Open access
McMahon, James M., Volpe, Ellen M., Klostermann, Keith, Trabold, Nicole, Xue, Ying·2015·Archives of Sexual Behavior
DOI 10.1007/s10508-014-0355-6PMC PMC4324007
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Abstract

The Sexual Relationship Power Scale (SRPS) was developed over a decade ago to address the lack of reliable and valid measures of relationship power in social, behavioral and medical research. The SRPS and its two subscales (relationship control [RC], decision-making dominance [DMD]) have been used extensively in the field of HIV prevention and sexual risk behavior. We performed a systematic review of the psychometric properties of the SRPS and subscales as reported in the HIV/AIDS literature from 2000 to 2012. A total of 54 published articles were identified, which reported reliability or construct validity estimates of the scales. Description of the psychometric properties of the SRPS and subscales is reported according to study population, and several cross-population trends were identified. In general, the SRPS and RC subscale exhibited sound psychometric properties across multiple study populations and research settings. By contrast, the DMD subscale had relatively weak psychometric properties, especially when used with specific populations and research settings. Factors that influenced the psychometric properties of the various scales and subscales included the study population, mean age of the sample, number of items retained in the scale, and modifications to the original scales. We conclude with recommendations for (1) the application and use of the SRPS and subscales, (2) reporting of psychometric properties of the scales in the literature, and (3) areas for future research.

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  • Few studies have examined the relationship between relationship power and intimate partner violence in samples composed entirely of HIV-positive women.

    “Little research has examined this association among entire samples of HIV-positive women, who have higher rates of violence and poverty than their HIV-negative counterparts [36–38] and are highly susceptible to stigma, discrimination, and poor physical and mental health as a consequence of their HIV status [39–41].”

    From Relationship power and sexual violence among HIV-positive women in rural Uganda (2016) · cites this paper as [35]

  • The Sexual Relationship Power Scale (SRPS) is a theoretically grounded, validated measure of power in sexual relationships that has been widely used in sub-Saharan Africa.

    “The SRPS is a theoretically-based and validated measure of power within a sexual relationship that has been extensively used in sub-Saharan Africa [35].”

    From Relationship power and sexual violence among HIV-positive women in rural Uganda (2016) · cites this paper as [35]

  • The odds ratios in this study are consistent with, or larger than, those in studies of mostly HIV-negative women.

    “While it is difficult to compare across samples due to differences in SRPS scoring procedures and measures of sexual violence, the odds ratios in our study are consistent, if not larger in magnitude, with studies on mostly HIV-negative women [35].”

    From Relationship power and sexual violence among HIV-positive women in rural Uganda (2016) · cites this paper as [35]

  • A systematic review found that the RC subscale has sound psychometric properties across many studies, while the DMD subscale is weaker and more sensitive to population and setting.

    “A systematic review found that the RC subscale exhibited sound psychometric properties across many studies whereas the DMD subscale was weaker and more sensitive to specific populations and settings [35].”

    From Relationship power and sexual violence among HIV-positive women in rural Uganda (2016) · cites this paper as [35]

  • Most studies of power and sexual behavior use individual-level data rather than dyadic couple data, which would allow individual versus couple-level effects to be evaluated.

    “Most studies on power and sexual behavior use data on individual women, rather than dyadic data on couples [35]—which would provide the ability to evaluate individual versus couple-level effects.”

    From Relationship power and sexual violence among HIV-positive women in rural Uganda (2016) · cites this paper as [35]

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  1. Nunnally JC Bernstein IH Psychometric Theory 1994 3rd Ed. New York McGraw-Hill

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Authors
McMahon, J. M., Volpe, E. M., Klostermann, K., Trabold, N., & Xue, Y.
Affiliations
  • University of Rochester Medicine (US)
  • University at Buffalo, State University of New York (US)
  • Medaille University (US)
Corresponding author
McMahon, James M.
ORCID
Venue
Archives of Sexual Behavior
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2014-10-21
Volume
44
Issue
2
Pages
267-294
ISSN
  • 0004-0002 (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-2800
DOI
10.1007/s10508-014-0355-6
PMC
PMC4324007
OpenAlex
W2045824341
Cited by
53
References
77
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 1
FWCI
0.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
Locations
  • Archives of Sexual Behavior (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • University of Rochester
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Center for AIDS Research, University of Washington
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (R21DA019834, R01DA015641, R01DA15641)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (P30AI078498)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
Keywords
power in relationships, relationship control, psychometric properties, reliability statistics, construct validity, HIV/AIDS, sexual risk behavior, HIV prevention, scale modification
MeSH terms
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Adult, Female, Humans, Male, Power, Psychological, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychometrics, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Partners, United States, Reproducibility of Results, Biomedical Research, Young Adult

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