Abstract

Background: Promoting the reproductive health of women with HIV is very important. Objectives: The aim of this study was to design a reproductive health assessment scale for this vulnerable group and determine its psychometric properties. Patients and Methods: This study adopted an exploratory mixed-methods design and included three phases. In the first qualitative phase, a sample of 25 HIV-positive women participated in semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion. In the second part, item pools were generated. In the last phase, face validity, content validity, and construct validity were assessed using exploratory factor analysis. Internal consistency and test-retest methods were used to estimate the reliability of the scale. Results: Forty-eight items were included in the psychometric evaluation stage of the scale. Based on the assessment of the content validity ratio (CVR), content validity index (CVI), and exploratory factor analysis, 12 items were omitted, leaving 36 items in the final scale. The exploratory factor analysis revealed six factors: disease-related concerns, life instability, coping with the illness, disclosure status, responsible sexual behaviors, and the need for self-management support. The reliability according to Cronbach’s alpha was 0.713, and the external reliability, as evaluated by the test-retest method and the intraclass correlation, was 0.952. Conclusions: The proposed tool, which consists of six factors and 36 items, is a reliable and valid scale for assessing the reproductive health of HIV-positive women. The findings of these measurements will be helpful when identifying and planning for improved health outcomes of this group of patients. © 2016, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.