Introduction: Sexuality and intimacy are crucial for well-being and quality of life, forming essential parts of occupational performance. However, there is a lack of culturally validated tools to assess these aspects across different populations. This study aims to translate and culturally adapt the OPISI for Italian-speaking individuals, following international guidelines for psychometric adaptation.
Objective: The goal of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the Occupational Performance Inventory of Sexuality and Intimacy (OPISI) into Italian (OPISI-IT), ensuring its linguistic and cultural relevance for Italian speakers.
Methods: The adaptation followed international cross-cultural guidelines, including forward translation, synthesis, back translation, expert committee review, and pre-testing. The instrument was tested with a sample of Italian-speaking individuals to assess clarity, cultural appropriateness, and comprehensibility. A psychometric evaluation was also conducted, distributing the questionnaire to occupational therapists, who administered it to clients and compared it with a validated scale assessing similar constructs.
Results: The OPISI-IT demonstrated high linguistic fidelity and cultural relevance. Participants found the items clear and reflective of Italian cultural perspectives on sexuality and intimacy in occupational performance. Minor adjustments were made to enhance clarity and cultural sensitivity. The psychometric evaluation is still ongoing.
Conclusion: The OPISI-IT is a valid and culturally adapted tool for assessing occupational performance related to sexuality and intimacy among Italian-speaking individuals. Final validation and distribution in Italy will be completed after the psychometric evaluation.