Cross-cultural psychometric assessment of the parent-teen sexual risk communication (PTSRC-III) scale in Jamaica

Background: HIV/AIDS represents a serious health threat in Jamaica. Adolescent and young adult females are at particularly high risk. US studies have shown that parent-teen sexual communication may significantly influence the sexual risk-related beliefs and behaviors. However, no studies have examined parent-teen sexual communication in Jamaica or the wider Caribbean. Objective: The study aims to describe patterns of parent-teen sexual communication between Jamaican mothers and adolescent daughters and assess the psychometric properties of the Parent-Teen Sexual Risk Communication (PTSRC-III) scale when used with this population. Method: Data were collected as part of a larger randomized controlled trial study. A total of 330 urban Jamaican adolescent girls, ages 13 - 17, and their mothers or female guardians completed the 8-item PTSRC-III scale at baseline and 3-month follow-up. Results: Mothers’ and daughters’ scores covered the full range of possible scores. Internal reliability of the PTSRC-III scale was excellent (α = 0.92 and 0.93 for mothers and daughters, respectively). There was evidence of consistency over time (r = 0.57, p < 0.001) and moderate mother-daughter concordance in reports of sexual communication (r = 0.27, p < 0.001). Daughters’ PTSRC-III scores were significantly correlated with daughters’ reports of comfort and ease with mother-daughter sexual communication (r = 0.427, p < 0.001), mother- daughter closeness (r = 0.288, p < 0.001), and importance of mothers’ approval (r = 0.146, p = 0.008). A two-factor structure was identified, although the second factor showed a lower eigen-value than was found in previous US studies. The loading pattern and explanation of variance were very similar to the factor 2 described in the initial psychometric testing of the PTSRC-III instrument. Discussion: Patterns of sexual communication and the psychometrics of the scale when used in Jamaica were consistent with US results, and provided evidence of the cross-cultural reliability and validity of the PTSRC-III scale.