1. www.postersession.com
Content Validity and Usability of the
Pavlovich Sexuality Questionnaire
Sharon Pavlovich¹, Bi Idica², Lizbeth Sanchez-Castaneda², Amanda Shea², Yeranui Stambulyan²,
Jason Villanueva², Heidi Mellor Wang², Heather Javaherian Dysinger³, Dragana Krpalek³, Stacey Cunningham³
¹Primary Investigator, ²Graduate Student Researcher, ³Research Advisor
DEPARTMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY, LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY
Sexuality continues to be a private and sometimes misunderstood topic that
people seldom talk about, especially among healthcare professionals (Helland et al.,
2013). Many factors contribute to the limited amount of discussion about this topic,
such as embarrassment, lack of knowledge, and scarcity of resources and tools (Helland
et al., 2013). Although sexuality is part of the occupational therapy scope of practice,
the topic is rarely addressed with clients (AOTA, 2014). Addressing sexuality within
the therapy session is one way to provide holistic care.
Furthermore, patients have demonstrated concerns as well as expressed the
importance of discussing the topic of sexuality with their health practitioners (Odea,
Russell, & Wedgwood, 2012). There are currently three questionnaires that address
sexuality and only one is tailored to occupational therapy. This particular questionnaire
however, only addresses the act of sex. Thus, a need exists for additional intervention
tools and resources for clinicians when addressing sexuality. Therefore, the purpose of
this study was to develop the Pavlovich Sexuality Questionnaire (PSQ) and to test its
content validity and usability in a variety of clinical settings.
Introduction Results
*
Four Themes Emerged From Occupational Therapy Practitioner Interviews:
Administration
• Average PSQ administration time was 30 minutes.
• Having established rapport and creating a safe environment, along with prior knowledge on
the topic of sexuality, were important for PSQ administration.
• The PSQ facilitated a smooth discussion on the topic of client sexuality.
• Clinicians required clarification for administration and billing of the PSQ.
“I think it opened a door for a conversation that they may not have thought to have,
or known was available to them ...”
Comfort
• The comfort levels of both practitioner and client were determining factors in the overall ease
of administration.
• A more open personality of both individuals was a key component to allow for a greater
in-depth conversation.
“…you can tell some people get nervous … and you just say, ‘Oh no it’s part of the evaluation
we ask everyone.’And then they’ll feel a little bit more comfortable.”
Practicality
• Sexuality is an important aspect of the occupational therapy scope of practice, and there is a
great need for the PSQ.
• It is important to address all aspects of a client, including sexuality, in order to increase the
client’s quality of life, and the PSQ can help facilitate this process.
“I thought that it was refreshing. That, to have that type of resource and it kind of motivated
me as a practitioner to really look at my addressing sexuality...I really felt this is very diverse
and you can use it across the board for all different types of setting.”
Recommendations
• Suggested PSQ administration populations/settings include: Mental Health, Acute Care,
Neurological Disorder (Spinal Cord Injury, Traumatic Brain Injury), and Orthopedics.
• Establish rapport with clients prior to administration.
• Provide sexuality-related resources for patients as follow-up to the PSQ.
• Create more direct questions and reword some PSQ items to improve clarity.
• Include a practitioner manual to guide administration.
Stage 1
Questionnaire Piloting with OTPs (n = 8)
Participants:
• Eight OT practitioners administered the PSQ, practicing in various settings
including: Rehabilitation, Acute Care, and Mental Health.
• Six out of eight practitioners were females with ages ranging from 20-39 years and
experience ranging from 1-16 years, including one level II fieldwork student.
Instruments:
• Demographic form for practitioners - five items gathering information on years in
practice, clinical setting, etc.
• Process: The PSQ was administered to 1-2 patients per practitioner.
Follow-Up Interviews with OTPs (n = 8)
Instrument:
• 22-item semi-structured interview with an approximate length of 30 minutes.
• Questions related to perceptions and recommendations for the PSQ.
Analysis plan:
• Interviews were transcribed and coded individually using deductive coding.
• Graduate researchers met together to compile codes.
• Codes were discussed among group members to find recurring categories and
themes.
Stage 2 Stage 3
Content Expert Review (n = 5)
Instrument:
• Content Expert Review Form - 16 items that gather feedback on the clarity,
appropriateness, relevance, and comprehensiveness of the PSQ.
Content Validity:
•Experts unanimously agreed on comprehensiveness of PSQ.
Expert recommendations:
• Overall, experts indicated the potential value of the PSQ as a tool for clinicians and
that the content areas were appropriate and complete.
• Following expert feedback, items were re-ordered, 3 questions were deleted, 5
questions were reworded, and 2 questions were added.
• The following terms were clarified: sexuality and self-esteem.
*References available upon request