Development and Evaluation of a Psychometric Instrument Designed to Assess HIV Risk Behaviors of Prison Inmates

Clinicians and researchers interested in HIV interventions for prisoners lack an appropriate psychometric instrument to assess HIV risk behaviors. This study evaluated the readability and internal consistency of a questionnaire designed to assess such behaviors. The questionnaire was administered to 277 inmates. The Flesch Reading Ease score was 78.3 with a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of 3.7, suggesting limited comprehension difficulties. Internal consistency was evaluated by determining Cronbach's alpha (Calpha) for total items and for each subscale. Following factor analyses, 25 items converged into five subscales and combined they account for 72% of the variance. The overall Calpha was .86 and the subscales Calpha ranged from .82 to .98. Findings reveal that the questionnaire is internally consistent and suitable for use with prisoners with low literacy skills. The use of this instrument for intervention studies in prisons has the potential to reduce inmates' HIV risk behaviors.