Development and validation of the Sexual Health Needs Scale for Patients with Gynecologic Malignancies

ObjectiveTo develop and validate the Sexual Health Needs Scale for Patients with Gynecologic Malignancies.MethodsUnder the guidance of the sexual health model for cancer patients,the initial scale was developed through literature review,qualitative research,expert consultation,and cognitive interviews.A total of 426 patients with gynecologic malignancies from a tertiary hospital in Hubei Province were surveyed between September and December 2024 to assess the reliability and validity of the scale.ResultsExploratory factor analysis extracted four common factors with eigenvalues>1,with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 67.546%. The formed Sexual Health Needs Scale for Patients with Gynecologic Malignancies included four dimensions:psychosexual health needs, partner⁃relational health needs,physical sexual health needs,and sociocultural support needs,comprising a total of 16 items.Confirmatory factor analysis indicated good model fit.The content validity index(CVI) of the scale was 0.989,with item⁃level CVIs ranging from 0.882 to 1.000.The overall Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.889,split⁃half reliability was 0.813,and test⁃retest reliability was 0.807.ConclusionsThe scale demonstrates good reliability and validity,making it an effective tool for assessing sexual health needs in patients with gynecologic malignancies.