title: Construction and psychometric properties of sexuality scales: sex knowledge, experience, and needs scales for people with intellectual disabilities (SexKen-ID), people with physical disabilities (SexKen-PD), and the general population (SexKen-GP).
abstract: This study reports on the development and assessment of the psychometric properties of three measures to assess sexual knowledge, experience, feelings, and needs. The first was designed to assess the Sexual Knowledge, Experience, Feelings, and Needs of people with mild intellectual disabilities (SexKen-ID). The two parallel measures were designed to assess the same areas of sexuality among people with physical disabilities (SexKen-PD) and among the general population (SexKen-GP). The areas of sexuality included in the scales were Friendship, Dating and Intimacy, Marriage, Body Part Identification, Sex and Sex Education, Menstruation, Sexual Interaction, Contraception, Pregnancy, Abortion and Child-birth, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Masturbation, and Homosexuality. Generation of the items in these scales is described in Studies 1-3. Study 4 describes the evaluation of the psychometric properties of the scales. Sixty-six people with intellectual disabilities, 54 people with physical disabilities, and 100 people from the general population completed the scales. Test-retest reliabilities were also calculated with 30 people with intellectual disabilities, 30 people with physical disabilities, and 30 people from the general population. These data demonstrate the good psychometric properties of the scales and so their simitability for assessing the sexual knowledge, experience, feelings, and needs of people with disability.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia. maritam@deakin.edu.au
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: McCabe
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Cummins
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Deeks
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019989:Persons with Intellectual Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011594:Psychometrics; D012016:Reference Values; D012736:Sex Education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012725:Sexual Behavior