Validation of the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale in Portuguese women with cervical cancer

Background: Cervical cancer impacts not only women, but also the couple’s dynamics. It is therefore important to assess the couple’s adjustment to the disease. Objective: This study assessed the validity of the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS) in a sample of 140 Portuguese women diagnosed with cervical cancer engaged in a romantic relationship. Methods: The sample included 140 women that answered the following instruments: RDAS, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC QLQ-C30), Satisfaction with Social Support Scale (SSSS), Index of Sexual Satisfaction (ISS) and Experiences in Close Relationships Scale Short-Form. Results: The content validity analysis indicated high levels of agreement between experts. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a model that included all items saturating in the respective original subscales. Cronbach alphas ranged from acceptable to good (.73-.88), and both convergent and divergent evidence were also good. Conclusion: Overall, the Portuguese RDAS showed good psychometric properties corroborating the original factor solution, and may be considered a resource to assess couple’s adjustment to cervical cancer, in research and clinical contexts.
This study was conducted at the Psychology Research Centre (PSI/01662), School of Psychology, University of Minho, supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through the Portuguese State Budget (Ref.: UIDB/PSI/01662/2020).