title: A systematic review of the psychometric properties of the Sexual Relationship Power Scale in HIV/AIDS research.
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.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave., Box SON, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA, james_mcmahon@urmc.rochester.edu.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.forename: Ellen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Volpe
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Klostermann
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Trabold
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xue
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; D000328:Adult; D035843:Biomedical Research; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult