Sociosexuality refers to an individual’s disposition to have casual sex without establishing affective bonds and has been widely studied worldwide using the Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R; Penke & Asendorpf, 2008). Despite its many validations in different cultural contexts, no psychometric analyses of this instrument have been conducted in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the psychometric properties of the SOI-R in Colombia. In a cross-sectional study with a large sample of participants (N = 812; 64% women), we conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to identify different factor structures and determine which had the best fit for our sample and examined the reliability of the scale. Results showed that a three-factor structure, with sociosexual behaviors, attitudes, and desire as first-order factors, and global sociosexuality as a second-order factor, had the best fit indexes. Each factor presented good reliability indexes. Replicating already established gender differences, we also found that men scored higher on each factor when compared to women. These findings show that the SOI-R is a reliable and valid instrument to assess sociosexuality in countries where sociosexuality research is underrepresented.
4 October 2024 in Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies
Se buscó analizar las propiedades psicométricas del BSCS en colombianos que residían en Barranquilla - norte de Colombia, teniendo en cuenta la categorización en estratos socioeconómicos de los barrios en la ciudad. Se quería observar si el modelo teórico de cuatro factores se mantenía o no en este contexto, y si la variable estrato socioeconómico de los barrios podía afectar su puntuación. Se encuestó a 858 personas: 491 mujeres, 367 hombres con edades de 18 a 82 años (M =31.2 años, DE= 14.6). Se utilizó un análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio para examinar la estructura de los factores, y la igualdad de los parámetros del BSCS entre los grupos de barrios con alta y baja categorización socioeconómica. Se encontró que, de tres modelos en comparación, el modelo de un factor de segundo orden que explica las cuatro dimensiones del sentido de comunidad (SC), brindó el mejor ajuste a los datos y responde mejor al modelo de McMillan y Chavis (1986). Las medidas de confiabilidad interna fueron ω de .92 y α de .91. Se propone una norma de corrección calculada para la matriz de correlación Policórica, donde las puntuaciones más altas indican un mayor SC. Se termina identificando que el SC es mucho mayor en los barrios de estratos socioeconómicos altos y medios con respecto a los barrios de estratos bajos.
Intervention programs aimed at mitigating the effects of chronic noncommunicable disease (CNDs) focus on promoting healthy lifestyle habits (HLH), especially in the early stages of life. Because of this, different typologies of caregivers have been identified according to HLH during middle childhood and adolescence. However, the available studies have focused on aspects such as nutrition, physical activity, and rest, ignoring other HLHs that are equally important for children’s well-being. Likewise, few studies address HLH during the first five years of life and how caregivers affect children’s health. In a sample of 544 caregivers of children aged zero to five years from low-income Colombian communities, we established a typology of attitudes toward different HLHs. The results indicate the presence of three clusters that grouped caregivers with (1) positive attitudes toward all HLHs, (2) toward some HLHs, and (3) relatively low positive attitudes toward all HLHs. Membership in clusters with less positive attitudes toward HLHs was also found to be associated with low educational levels and living in rural areas. This study detected profiles of caregivers who may have unhealthy lifestyles, so the results would allow social workers to design differential interventions on HLHs in non-industrialized countries.
The sexual sensation seeking scale (SSSS) is a widely used instrument to measure individuals’ tendency to seek an optimal level of sexual arousal and novel sexual experiences. However, psychometric studies have suggested different factor structures for this instrument, which may lead to a biased assessment of the subdimensions of sexual sensation seeking. The present study (N = 812) aimed to identify the best factorial model of the SSSS by comparing the model suggested by previous research. Results from Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses showed that none of the models tested have sufficient goodness-of-fit to support the internal validity of the instrument. Thus, this study highlights the limitations of the SSSS in assessing sexual sensation seeking and proposes psychometric alternatives that should be considered by researchers to achieve a reliable measure of sexual sensation seeking.