Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Barriers to HIV Testing Scale-Karolinska Version for Brazilian Men Who Have Sex With Men.
Laelson Rochelle Milanês Sousa, Rafael Fernandes de Mesquita, Maria Wiklander and 3 others
PMID 37561660WHAT IT FOUND
Brazilian Portuguese version of a scale identifying barriers to HIV testing was validated in 1,290 men who have sex with men.
It grouped concerns into personal, structural, confidentiality, and economic worries. Could help nurses tailor HIV testing counseling.
Key findings
01The Brazilian Portuguese scale was validated in 1,290 MSM and identified four barrier domains: personal consequences, structural barriers, confidentiality, and economic or individual concerns.
02The adapted scale had overall reliability of 0.89, and each domain had reliability above 0.7.
03The domains included fear of losing family, concerns about people at the test site, and worries about job, insurance, test result, and no cure.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Participants were recruited through social networks, especially Instagram, so the sample likely overrepresented gay men and may not represent men who are less visible online. The study tested measurement properties only; it did not show that using the scale improves HIV testing, counseling, or health outcomes. Floor and ceiling effects were above the 15% threshold considered problematic, which may limit the scale's ability to detect change. This was the first cultural adaptation and validation for Brazilian men who have sex with men, so properties need testing in more varied samples and contexts. The confirmatory model needed added error covariances to reach acceptable fit, suggesting the item grouping is not perfectly stable.
Declared interests
The study received no external financial support, and the authors declared no real or perceived conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that using this scale will increase HIV testing or improve care. It was validated as a measurement tool in Brazilian men who have sex with men, but the study did not test whether giving the scale to patients changes testing rates, counseling quality, or health outcomes.