Confirmatory Validation Of The Factor Structure And Reliability Of The Sexual Risk Survey In A Large Multiuniversity Sample Of U.S. Students

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The Sexual Risk Survey (SRS) is a measure of sexual risk behavior designed to comprehensively assess sexual risk taking among college students and has been found to have good psychometric properties. However, the SRS was created and validated within a sample of U.S. Midwestern university students and the factor structure and reliability may differ in other samples. The current study expands on existing research by examining the factor structure and reliability of the SRS in a large, diverse archival data set and also provides a standardized approach to scoring the SRS. Methods: Archival data included in this study were collected from 2006 to 2013 from 5,496 university students in 16 different American academic institutions in 11 states. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original 5-factor solution described by Turchik and Garske (2009). In comparing mean subscale scores across demographic characteristics—age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religion—a number of demographic differences were found, although most differences were small in magnitude. Internal consistency reliability for the total scale was .90, and subscale alphas ranged from .63 to .90 for the total pooled sample. Conclusions: The factor analysis supported the original five-factor scale and new information is presented regarding demographics differences. Scoring guidelines have been updated and information to assist researchers with the standardized scoring of the SRS is presented.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexual risk behavior
• college students
• condom use
• measurement
• psychometric validation

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to acknowledge the following researchers and their colleagues who kindly provided data that made the current project possible (in alphabetical order): Tara Elizabeth Adams, M.A., Jeannie Banter, M.A., Jessica Barnack-Tavlaris, Ph.D., Jessica Fulton, Ph.D., Meredith Ginley, M.S., Kimberly Harris, Ph.D., Robert D. Latzman, Ph.D., Steven Lawyer, Ph.D., Adam Leventhal, Ph.D., Bradley Ross, B.A., Nicole Stillo, M.S., Jana Tran, M.A., Laurel Watson, Ph.D., Nicole Weiss, B.A., Natarsha Williams, M.Ed., and Eric Zimak, Ph.D.

FUNDING

The second author's training fellowship (T32DA031099; PI: Hasin) provided her funding to assist in completion of the data analyses.