title: The development and evaluation of the Harm Reduction Self-Efficacy Questionnaire.
abstract: The authors recruited 99 injection drug users to assess the psychometric properties of a new self-report questionnaire--the Harm Reduction Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (HRSEQ)--designed to measure injection drug users' confidence to employ 15 specific health-preserving coping skills in different types of high-risk situations (experiencing withdrawal, feeling depressed, and feeling social pressure to use drugs unsafely). Scores for each high-risk situation had good internal consistency (alphas = .89 -.92) and good 1-week test-retest reliability (rs = .70 -.85). Comparison with measures of drug-related problems, use of coping skills, and health self-efficacy supported both construct and discriminant validity of the HRSEQ. Exploratory factor analyses revealed 3 major themes (cleanliness precautions, overdose precautions, and safer injection practices) that summarized most, but not all, of the 15 items. Mean differences among the 3 situations suggest that harm reduction self-efficacy should be assessed in the context of specific high-risk situations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639, USA. kristina.phillips@unco.edu
authors.forename: Kristina T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Harold
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D040261:Harm Reduction; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D020377:Self Efficacy; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires