Examination of the Sexual and Negative Dating Inventory (SANDI) Among Sexual and Gender Minorities: An Analysis of Psychometrics and Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Adverse sexual experiences (ASE), including sexual violence, sexual risk behaviors, and regretted sex, are highly prevalent among sexual and gender minorities (SGM) compared to cisgender and heterosexual individuals. Research indicates ASEs are associated with increased mental health symptomatology and decreased subsequent protective behavior use. The Sexual and Negative Dating Inventory (SANDI) measures dating and sexual protective strategies and includes five factors: Location Sharing, Assertiveness, Self-Protection, Risk Reduction and Privacy. SANDI total scores are linked to lower ASEs in heteronormative samples.

METHOD: SANDI was previously validated in a sample of n  = 1,289 college students. Data were examined from n  = 313 (24.28%) SGM individuals at baseline, and n  = 95 at one-month follow-up. Individuals were 19.70 (2.98 SD) years old, and 25% were non-white. Model fit was adequate for SGM: χ2 (484) = 1729.621, p  < .001, CFI = .947, RMSEA = .063 (90% CI = .060, .066), SRMR = .048. Results: Non-cisgender men and non-heterosexual individuals endorse using more of the SANDI at the factor level. Using logistic regression, SANDI was not associated with history of sexual violence or sexual violence over the next month. SANDI is inversely associated with history of sexual risk and prospectively associated with less sexual risk over the next month. Negative binomial regression analyses showed SANDI was not associated with a history of regretted sex; however, SANDI was moderately associated with decreased regretted sex over the next month.

CONCLUSION: Findings highlight the importance of dating and sexual protective behaviors across dimensions of gender and sexual orientation.