Introduction
Methods
Study overview
Description of the SRPS instrument
Cognitive interview study
Purpose and theoretical framework
Participant sample and recruitment
Data analysis
Results
Characteristics of the study sample
Overall N (%) | Women (n = 21) N (%) | Men (n = 17) N (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Age | |||
21–24 years old | 24 (63.2) | 11 (52.4) | 13 (76.5) |
25–30 years old | 14 (26.8) | 10 (47.6) | 4 (23.5) |
Site | |||
Durban | 18 (47.4) | 10 (47.6) | 10 (58.8) |
Soweto | 20 (52.6) | 11 (52.4) | 7 (41.2) |
Sexual Orientation | |||
Heterosexual | 35 (92.1) | 18 (85.7) | 17 (100.0) |
Lesbian, gay, or bisexual | 3 (7.9) | 3 (14.3) | 0 (0.0) |
Language | |||
IsiZulu | 23 (60.5) | 13 (61.9) | 10 (58.8) |
Other | 15 (39.5) | 8 (38.1) | 7 (41.2) |
Relationship Length | |||
Not in a relationship | 4 (12.9) | 4 (21.0) | 0 |
< 2 years | 9 (29.0) | 4 (21.1) | 5 (41.7) |
≥ 2 years | 18 (58.1) | 11 (57.9) | 7 (58.3) |
Missing | 7 | 2 | 5 |
Partner age difference | |||
Not in a relationship | 4 (15.4) | 4 (25.0) | 0 (0.0) |
Age-similar (within 5 years of age from each other) | 15 (57.7) | 5 (31.3) | 10 (100.0) |
≥ 5 years older | 7 (26.9) | 7 (43.7) | 0 (0.0) |
Missing | 12 | 5 | 7 |
SRPS mean (SD) | ‐ | 3.03 (0.55) | 2.62 (0.37) |
SRPS median, Q1, Q3 | ‐ | 3.15 (2.92, 3.38) | 2.50 (2.38, 2.92) |
Young women | Cognitive Interview Participant (n = 21) | All AYAZAZI young women with 12-month SRPS scores (n = 163) | P-value |
---|---|---|---|
SRPS mean score, SD, 95%CI | 3.03 (0.55): 2.78–3.28 | 2.77 (0.24): 2.74–2.81 | 0.04 |
Young men | Cognitive Interview Participant (n = 17) | All AYAZAZI young men with 12-month SRPS scores (n = 73) | |
SRPS mean score, SD, 95%CI | 2.62 (0.37): 2.43–2.81 | 2.80 (0.33): 2.72–2.88 | 0.08 |
Young women | Cognitive Interview Participant (n = 21) | All Cognitive Interview young women with 12-month SRPS scores (n = 18) | |
SRPS mean score, SD, 95%CI | 3.03 (0.55): 2.78–3.28 | 2.71 (0.22): 2.60–2.81 | 0.02 |
Young men | Cognitive Interview Participant (n = 17) | All Cognitive Interview young men with 12-month SRPS scores (n = 7) | |
SRPS mean score, SD, 95%CI | 2.62 (0.37): 2.43–2.81 | 2.92 (0.31): 2.64–3.21 | 0.06 |
Item appraisal results
SRPS Scale Item | Response breakdown | Cognitive Process Coding | Question Feature Coding | Recommendations for adaptation | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Comprehension | Response Process | Judgements related to items | Clarity of items (wording, vague) | Logical problems in assumptions (inappropriate assumptions, double-barreled questions) | |||
1. My partner is quite comfortable when I greet men I know | 70% Strongly agreed/Agreed 30% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Item assumes heterosexuality and that it would be only an issue if participant was greeting men on the street | Revise wording in order to be more gender neutral so as to allow for the inclusion of gender diverse individuals and participants in non-heterosexual relationships | ||||
2. My partner expects me to be at home when he comes to check on me | 50% Strongly agreed/Agreed 50% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | At times was interpreted as if the participant and her partner made plans first | Unclear whether to interpret item based on whether participants made plans, called in advance, or if their partner was just showing up unannounced | Clarify whether plans have been made in advance, or consider revising to be more contemporary understanding that young people are more connected (e.g., telephonically and virtually) than when the scale was originally developed | |||
3. My partner becomes jealous when I wear things that make me look too beautiful | 50% Strongly agreed/Agreed 50% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Participants at times responded ‘sometimes’ to this item | The term beautiful was left up for interpretation | This item was also a bit unclear what “too beautiful” meant | Often interpreted both as beauty in whichever way the participant interpreted beauty to mean, but also interpreted as wearing revealing clothing | Revise item so that there is less ambiguity to what the item is asking. Could be revised to ask about whether partner ever gets jealous when you dress in certain clothing | |
4. My partner has more to say than I do about important decisions that affect us | 35% Strongly agreed/Agreed 65% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Participants at times indicated “it depends” and wanted an option to acknowledge equal decision-making | The response options for this item could be revised so that they can reflect and allow participants to distinguish between partner having more control, them having more control, or having equal control | ||||
5. My partner never tells me who I can spend time with | 90% Strongly agreed/Agreed 10% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | At times the word never was not considered in the participants’ responses | Some participants spoke of how they felt the item was not applicable to them as they chose not to have friends | Negatively worded items should be removed as they tend to confuse participants | |||
6. I could leave our relationship any time I wanted to | 80% Strongly agreed/Agreed 20% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Among the minority of women who responded disagree or strongly disagree a couple stated they wouldn’t leave because they love their partner or that they couldn’t because they’ve tried (to break up) and it hasn’t worked | Future scales may want to consider adding items related to love and building healthy relationships | ||||
7. My partner does what he wants, even if I don’t want him to | 35% Strongly agreed/Agreed 65% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Participants thought this item could have been worded in a simpler manner | Potentially two interpretations about one’s partner going out and doing things you don’t want as well as doing things to you (e.g., sexually) that are unwanted | Revising item so that it is more specific Consider adding item that more specifically addresses unwanted sexual advances/sexual violence | |||
8. When my partner and I disagree, he gets his way most of the time | 25% Strongly agreed/Agreed 75% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Some participants wanted to respond “it depends” and often highlighted how they both get their way | Some items could potentially have different response options that allow for a wider range in responses. For example, having response options of Always, frequently, sometimes, rarely, and never | ||||
9. My partner always wants to know where I am | 65% Strongly agreed/Agreed 35% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Item was often interpreted as a sign of caring and that this was quite common and desired in the context of high rates of violence against women in South Africa | Measuring both the level of care partner has for safety and heightened surveillance of whereabouts | Revising item to be more specific in order to capture an unhealthy level of surveillance versus general concern for safety or create two distinct items | |||
10. My partner expects me to do everything for him | 21% Strongly agreed/Agreed 79% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Item judged as being for married people | “Everything” was vague and many young women asked what was meant by this | Revise item to be more specific. Consider modifying item so that it reflects the common ways in which young women and men in South Africa have relationships | |||
11. Because my partner buys me things, he expects me to please him | 5% Strongly agreed/Agreed 95% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Lack of clarity in what was meant by “please him” | Revise item to be more specific Given the lack of agreement to this item, future scales may want to revise this item so it is not interpreted as participating in transactional sex or sex work | ||||
12. My partner lets me know that I am not his only girlfriend | 15% Strongly agreed/Agreed 85% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | This item was often interpreted as ‘does your partner cheat on you’ and participants spoke of finding out their partner cheated through seeing messages on his phone | This item assumes monogamy, and some participants talked about being in an open relationship | Consider removing or modifying in order to ensure the item is more understandable and inclusive of different types of relationships | |||
13. My partner expects me to sleep over whenever he chooses | 30% Strongly agreed/Agreed 70% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Item assumes that participants have started sleeping together and are able to have sleep overs | Consider adding some clarity regarding whether participants are able to have sleep overs |
Response breakdown | Cognitive Process Coding | Question Feature Coding | Recommendations for adaptations | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SRPS Scale Item | Comprehension | Response Process | Judgements related to items | Clarity of items (wording, vague) | Logical problems in assumptions (inappropriate assumptions, double-barreled questions) | ||
1. I am quite comfortable when my partner greets men, she knows | 81% Strongly agreed/Agreed 19% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Participants expressed being comfortable with partner greeting men as long as she is not flirting | Lacking clarity in what “greets” was referring to. Not specific enough about which men she is greeting (e.g., friends/family vs. strangers) | Item assumes heterosexuality and that it would be only an issue if participant’s partner was greeting men on the street | Include more specific language so as to avoid confusion | ||
2. I like my partner to be at home when I come to check her, it bothers me if she is not there | 69% Strongly agreed/Agreed 31% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Often item was interpreted as participants had already made plans in advance | At times participants responded “it depends” to this question | Young men often assumed this was in the context of them having had made plans with their partner and feeling that they would be upset based on wasting time, thus more context was needed | Clarify whether plans have been made in advance, or consider revising to be more contemporary, understanding that young people are more connected (e.g., telephonically, virtually) than when the scale was originally developed | ||
3. I become jealous when my partner wears things that make her look too beautiful | 31% Strongly agreed/Agreed 69% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Some young men were unable to comprehend how someone could get jealous if their partner looked beautiful | Some participants responded “somewhat agree” | Young men sometimes felt that the item was asking both about beauty and how this beauty represented them, which they appreciated but also that wearing revealing clothes was different and would make them jealous | Include more specific language so as to avoid confusion. For example specify whether participant is jealous of partner wearing revealing clothes versus the broad concept of beauty | ||
4. I have more to say than my partner does about important decisions that affect us | 60% Strongly agreed/Agreed 40% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Some participants responded “No, she has more.” or “I do” | Responses for this item should consider whether it would be better to understand who in the relationship makes most of the decisions and then providing response options of you, your partner, or both equally | ||||
5. I never tell my partner who she can see or spend time with | 69% Strongly agreed/Agreed 31% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | “Never” was often overlooked in the comprehension of this item | Avoid using negatively worded items that create complicated double negative cognitive processes | ||||
6. It might make me sad but my partner is free to leave our relationship any time she wants to | 79% Strongly agreed/Agreed 21% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Interpretation was often based on young men’s desire to not breakup more than forcing partner to stay in relationship | Some participants responded they weren’t sure not because they wanted to force their partner to stay in the relationship but because they have tried to breakup and it hasn’t worked | Make item more specific to ensure the scale is capturing control and being forced to stay Future scales may want to consider adding items related to love and building healthy relationships | |||
7. I like to do what I want, even if my partner doesn’t want me to | 31% Strongly agreed/Agreed 69% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | ||||||
8. When my partner and I disagree, I get my way most of the time | 31% Strongly agreed/Agreed 69% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Participants often wanted to answer items with yes or no | |||||
9. I like to know where my partner is most of the time | 87% Strongly agreed/Agreed 13% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | This item was often interpreted as showing care in the context of high rates of violence against women | Both about safety and making sure partner wasn’t with other men | Revising item to be more specific in order to capture an unhealthy level of surveillance versus general concern for safety | |||
10. I expect my partner to do things for me like my ironing and cooking | 62% Strongly agreed/Agreed 38% Strongly Disagreed/Disagreed | Participants often wanted to answer items with yes or no | This item was often stated by participants as not applicable because the participant was not married or hadn’t paid lobolo | Specifying whether asking about current situation in young men’s relationship or expectations in the future if they get married/paid lobolo | |||
11. Because I buy my partner things, I expect her to please me | 25% Strongly agreed/Agreed 75% Strongly Disagreed/ Disagreed | Some young men interpreted this item as whether they are able to provide for their partners | Future scales may want to consider adding items about young men’s perceived obligation and ability to provide for their partners | ||||
12. I let my partner know that she is not the only girlfriend I have or could have | 19% Strongly agreed/Agreed 81% Strongly Disagreed/ Disagreed | For some this item seemed implausible (because it would surely end the relationship) Item was interpreted as being honest or that by not telling their partner they have “side chicks” they are protecting her | Assumes that participant is in a monogamous relationship and does not consider potential for open relationships | Item should be revised to better capture whether or not young men are using threats of relationships with other woman as a means to cont | |||
13. When I want my partner to sleep over, I expect her to agree | 40% Strongly agreed/Agreed 60% Strongly Disagreed/ Disagreed | Some young men interpreted this item as wanting to spend quality bonding time with their partner and thus having the expectation she will want to sleep over | Item assumes that participants have started sleeping together and are able to have sleep overs | Future scales should consider adding items about expectations for quality time as well as sex with their partners |
Cognitive processes coding
Comprehension
“Eeeh, it is the one that you asked me that if I cheat on her, will I tell her that. It does not make any sense at all. That is why I couldn’t answer that one.” – Participant 41
“No, I have not come across that, that one of breaking up, to break up, [no] it would just be conflicts and we would solve them, you see? […] I will not just let her, I need to ask why she is leaving, what happened to [us].” -Participant 48
Judgements related to the items
“We are not married people, married people do that. He has not even paid for lobolo, so no. […] No, he must not expect me to…Yo! I have a lot of things to do and now I must leave them and attend to his needs? […] No, ha, never. He is not my husband. I do all of that if I want to.”- Participant 165
Question feature coding
Clarity of the items (e.g., wording, whether the question is vague)
“Ahhh, okay, it is not that clear because it just mentions “greet”, it does not mention uhm, “talking to”, because greeting and talking to someone is two different things. When she greets someone and does not talk to them, it makes me a bit suspicious. So, it is better if you phrase this question like this rather than saying “talking to” someone because if she talked to someone, she would have an explanation for talking to them, expect for just greeting them, she could make just any excuse and just be like “No, it is a friend”, when it is actually a side person or someone else.” – Participant 13
“Eeh, this one I, my understanding with it is that, It want to know how I feel when I alerted my partner that I will meet her at her place, and then when I do come and then she is not there, uhhhm then my thought about the question is, yes I agree with the question because I will like my partner to be at her place when I come to check her, because if, because I only come to visit her when I have informed her that on a particular day and time I will come and check you at your place, and then when I eventually do come and then she is not there, then it became problematic for me, because now she is wasting my time, wasted money to travel from my place to her place, only for me not to find her at her place, so that become problematic.” – Participant 67
“When you say everything, you mean like house chores eh, laundry, financially?”- Participant 135
Logical problems in assumptions (e.g., inappropriate assumptions, assumptions of constant behaviour, and double-barreled questions)
Inappropriate assumptions and assumptions of constant behaviour
“No, […] I live with my parents and I cannot sleep over. […] He knows that my parents are very strict parents and so, he knows that I cannot sleep over whenever he wants me to.” – Participant 195
Double-barreled questions
“So, in my understanding, if she wears something that make her look beautiful, I am okay with it, but if she wears something that exposes her. I am not quite happy with that. So, I answered this question based on my understanding of beautiful rather than the society’s.” -Participant 13
“Not really, ehm, I guess it’s something it’s an issue that I always had like from growing up, I never liked short things [revealing clothes], so I feel like they are uncomfortable, so that’s why I always avoid wearing them, like if you appear wearing short things it can mean a lot of things, like putting a lot of makeup, your weaves on like, from being simple, from having like a natural hair to relaxing your hair which will make you maybe more beautiful or wearing wigs, so ja, no, but in this question mostly, I would say maybe it’s wearing short, for me, it’s wearing short [clothing] ‘cause I don’t apply as well a lot of make-up.” – Participant 11
“Are you saying that’s what he wants, in which sense, like him maybe going out to watch soccer or is it when I say, I don’t want you to touch me when he touches me or do you mean?” – Participant 116
“Uhm…Jah, I feel like there is a twist somewhere, somehow […] I feel like it is asking if he is a stalker… […] But I also feel like it is asking if he cares.”- Participant 129
“If I know where she is and I am not with her, I become so free to say, okay, my partner is at a certain place, she is doing 1, 2, 3, even though I don’t see her […] but I have peace that I mustn’t worry too much about her. If she does not tell me where she went, I will be worried, worse, if I call and she does not take my call, then I will think that eish since these days, there is human trafficking.” -Participant 49
Suggestions for revisions and adaptions
“Maybe if we can just…, when you ask the question, maybe add more details so that I know that when I respond I will give you the answer that is appropriate ‘cause now it’s open-ended you know I can say yes, I agree with just everything but then you find that another person perceives it differently, so ja” – Participant 11
“I think that’s how it should be, like more specific whether in public or in private space.”-Participant 111
“I will speak in a manner we usually speak with the guys here in Durban, I will say hey my brother how do you feel about the 50/50 [gender equality] thing?”- Participant 41
“The emotional wellbeing of a person in that relationship. How are you fitting in emotionally? Because some people can be like. Yes, he understands me but there is that emotional part of them where they are breaking. Where they are not happy emotionally. But in other things they can defend their partner and say yesss he is a good person but emotionally the soul is the important thing,” – Participant 123
“Like how, how often do you have sex with your partner or how much sex should one have with her partner per month or per week or, ya, those kinds of questions. […] Well, it also depends on how active, how sexually active you are. If you are very sexually active and your partner is not around, the chances are high that you will find sexual pleasure from someone else, other than your partner.” – Participant 67
“Maybe what can it be, ooh maybe it can be a job. Maybe if someone have a better job, does that affect the relationship. If I as a male work better and earn better, would it make me not to respect my partner during that period.” – Participant 58