Development and Preliminary Validation of a Scale to Measure Perceived Therapist's Knowledge about Gender Identity Diversity among Trans and Non-Binary Individuals in Puerto Rico

Caleb Esteban; Eddiel Hernández-López; Margarita Francia-Martínez; Alixida Ramos-Pibernus

doi:10.3390/ejihpe14070125

Development and Preliminary Validation of a Scale to Measure Perceived Therapist's Knowledge about Gender Identity Diversity among Trans and Non-Binary Individuals in Puerto Rico

Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2024 Jun 25;14(7):1890-1901. doi: 10.3390/ejihpe14070125.

Authors

Caleb Esteban^{1

2

3}, Eddiel Hernández-López^{1

2}, Margarita Francia-Martínez^{3

4}, Alixida Ramos-Pibernus^{3

5}

Affiliations

¹ The Queer Biopsychosocial Health Laboratory (The Queer Lab), School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce 00716, Puerto Rico.
² Ponce Research Institute, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce 00716, Puerto Rico.
³ Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Diversity Committee, Puerto Rico Psychological Association, San Juan 00936, Puerto Rico.
⁴ Clinical Psychology Program, Universidad Carlos Albizu, San Juan 00901, Puerto Rico.
⁵ Health Equity Research (HER) Lab, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, Ponce Health Sciences University, Ponce 00716, Puerto Rico.

Abstract

This study aimed to describe the development of the Perceived Therapist's Knowledge about Gender Identity Diversity Scale and to preliminarily validate this scale by describing its psychometric properties. This research instrument was constructed based on the existing literature and recommendations for instrument development. Initially, a 36-item scale was devised to assess perceived openness and knowledge about gender identity diversity in therapy. The content validation process involved 12 expert judges, leading to a refined 25-item scale. Participants consisting of 57 trans and non-binary Puerto Rican individuals completed the scale. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a unidimensional structure, supporting a single factor named "perceived knowledge about gender identity diversity in therapy." The final scale demonstrated excellent reliability (α = 0.978; Sα = 0.980; ω = 0.979), indicating strong internal consistency. This validated scale contributes to assessing primarily Hispanic trans and non-binary individuals' perceptions of their therapists' knowledge about gender identity diversity.

Keywords: gender minorities; gender non-binary; knowledge; scale development and validation; trans/transgender.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding. However, the online promotion of the project described was supported by the Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Diversity Committee, of the Puerto Rico Psychological Association.