Table 3.

Factor Loadings for the Decisional Balance to Bareback Scale

Statement		Loadings
Bareback sex/Sex with condoms…	Mean (SD)	Coping with Vulnerabilities	Pleasure & Emotional Connection
“helps me feel less anxious”	−1.14(4.27)	.59	.31
“helps me feel less lonely”	0.84(2.88)	.61	.37
“helps me feel less depressed”	0.30(2.82)	.70	.32
“is a political statement for me”	0.25(2.53)	.59	.21
“makes me feel less discouraged about the future”	−0.25(3.15)	.71	.19
“makes me feel better about myself”	−0.56(3.54)	.79	.36
“reduces my negative feelings about sex with men”	−0.22(2.99)	.66	.30
“helps me cope with a racist society”	0.22(1.81)	.64	.13
“makes me feel close to my partner”	3.43(3.71)	.24	.67
“is a lot of fun for me”	3.32(4.61)	.32	.85
“makes me feel very connected with my sexual partner”	3.08(3.98)	.31	.81
“is very intimate to me”	3.76(4.07)	.27	.82
“is what I like the most”	3.96(5.28)	.30	.81
“relieves my stress” a	1.08(4.11)	.59	.51
“is my own personal decision” a	0.67(3.80)	.41	.47
Standardized Cronbach's Alpha Coefficient	α = 0.92	α = 0.89	α = 0.92

Note. Bold typeface indicates items loading within each factor.

^aItem not included in subscales score due to similar weights across both factors.