Abstinence Motivation Scale-Sex (AMS-Sex)

Abstract

The Abstinence Motivation Scale-Sex (AMS-Sex) is a specialized psychometric instrument designed to assess the underlying reasons, or motivations, that lead individuals, primarily adolescents and young adults, to maintain sexual abstinence. Developed within the framework of Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the scale differentiates between various forms of extrinsic motivation, ranging from highly controlled reasons (external and introjected) to autonomous reasons (identified and integrated). The scale helps researchers and clinicians understand the quality, rather than just the presence, of the motivation for abstinence, which is crucial for predicting long-term behavioral maintenance and psychological well-being.

The development process involved reducing a comprehensive initial battery of items into a concise, validated final scale, ensuring that the resulting factors accurately represent the hypothesized motivational continuum proposed by SDT. The final version of the AMS-Sex contains distinct subscales corresponding to these motivational types.

Keywords

Sexual abstinence, Motivation, Self-Determination Theory, Extrinsic motivation, Adolescence, Abstinence Motivation Scale-Sex (AMS-Sex), Psychological measurement, Impression Management

Authors

Natalie Johnson

Purpose

The primary purpose of the AMS-Sex is to quantitatively assess the motivational factors influencing an individual’s decision to remain sexually abstinent. Unlike measures that only record whether or not an individual is abstinent, the AMS-Sex investigates the specific extrinsic motivation type driving the behavior. This distinction is critical because motivations that are internally driven (autonomous) typically lead to greater behavioral persistence and better psychological outcomes compared to motivations driven by external control or internal pressure (controlled).

The scale provides researchers with a tool to test hypotheses related to the continuum of motivation outlined in SDT in the context of sexual health and development. By identifying the source of motivation—whether it is due to fear of punishment (external), guilt (introjected), personal values (identified), or core identity (integrated)—interventions can be tailored to foster more autonomous and sustainable motivational patterns.

Construct

The AMS-Sex measures the construct of motivation for sexual abstinence, grounded explicitly in the principles of Self-Determination Theory (SDT). SDT posits a continuum of motivation ranging from amotivation (lack of intention) to intrinsic motivation (doing an activity for inherent satisfaction). The AMS-Sex focuses on the four types of extrinsic motivation relevant to socially regulated behavior:

• External Regulation: Behavior controlled by external rewards or punishments (e.g., parental approval or avoiding trouble).
• Introjected Regulation: Behavior regulated by internal pressure, such as avoiding feelings of guilt or shame, or maintaining self-esteem.
• Identified Regulation: Behavior accepted as personally important or valuable, reflecting conscious endorsement of the action.
• Integrated Regulation: Behavior fully assimilated into the self, consistent with one’s personal values and sense of identity. This is the most autonomous form of extrinsic motivation.

The AMS-Sex also includes a brief measure of Impression Management (IM) derived from the BIDR Version 6, which is crucial for controlling for social desirability bias, a common challenge when measuring sensitive behaviors like sexual activity and abstinence.

Validity

The validity of the AMS-Sex was established through rigorous psychometric testing detailed in the original development thesis. This process included content validity checks to ensure items accurately reflected the SDT constructs, as well as construct validity assessments. The differentiation between the Initial AMS-Sex (77 items) and the Final AMS-Sex (24 items) indicates that exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to purify the scale, removing ambiguous or poorly performing items and confirming the hypothesized four-factor structure corresponding to the SDT continuum. This structural validation provides evidence that the subscales measure distinct, yet related, motivational constructs as intended.

Reliability

Reliability refers to the consistency of the scale’s measurements. While specific Cronbach’s alpha coefficients are not provided in the abstracted content, the development and validation process detailed in the source material implies that internal consistency reliability was established for the Final AMS-Sex subscales. High internal consistency is essential to demonstrate that the items within each subscale (External, Introjected, Identified, Integrated) reliably measure the same underlying motivational factor. The successful derivation of the Final AMS-Sex suggests that the refined 24-item version possesses adequate reliability for use in research settings.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis was a key component in transitioning from the Initial AMS-Sex (77 items) to the Final AMS-Sex (24 items). This statistical procedure was employed to test the dimensional structure of the scale. The researchers sought to confirm that the items clustered into four distinct, theoretically meaningful factors aligned with the SDT continuum: External, Introjected, Identified, and Integrated motivation for abstinence. The successful reduction and retention of items focused solely on these four factors (as seen in the Final AMS-Sex item list) demonstrates that the scale possesses strong structural validity, confirming the hypothesized measurement model of motivational regulation in the context of sexual behavior.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychological self-report scale measuring motivational regulation.

Format: 5-point Likert-type scale. Responses range from “not at all a reason for me” to “totally a reason for me.”

Language Available: English (Original development).

Population Group: Adolescents and Young Adults.

Age Group: Typically utilized with high school and college-aged populations.

Population Details: Individuals who are sexually abstinent or are considering sexual abstinence, particularly those whose motivation is influenced by peers, parents, or personal values.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the extent to which each item (a reason for abstinence) applies to them. Scoring involves calculating subscale means for External, Introjected, Identified, and Integrated motivation, often adjusting scores based on the accompanying Impression Management (IM) measure to account for social desirability.

Keywords

Sexual health, Adolescent psychology, Motivational regulation, SDT, BYU, Psychometrics, Self-report measure, External regulation, Integrated regulation

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address: Research conducted at Brigham Young University (BYU), Provo, Utah.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The AMS-Sex was developed and validated in 2013 as part of a Master’s thesis at Brigham Young University. For academic and non-commercial research use, the instrument is often available without direct fees, though users should seek formal permission from the author (Natalie Johnson) or the originating institution (Brigham Young University) to ensure ethical use and proper citation.

Reference’s

Johnson, Natalie. (2013). “Development and Validation of the Abstinence Motivation Scale.” Brigham Young University. Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3686.

The original PDF containing the instrument and validation details can be downloaded here: http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4685&context=etd

Items of the Abstinence Motivation Scale-Sex (AMS-Sex)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Short IM Scale from BIDR Version 6

1. I never cover up my mistakes.
2. There have been occasions when I have taken advantage of someone. (R)
3. I always obey laws‚ even if I’m unlikely to get caught.
4. I have said something bad about a friend behind his/her back. (R)
5. When I hear people talking privately‚ I avoid listening.
6. I have received too much change from a salesperson without telling him or her. (R)
7. When I was young I sometimes stole things. (R)
8. I have never dr‎opped litter on the street.
9. I never look at sexy books or magazines.
10. I have done things that I don’t tell other people about. (R)
11. I have pretended to be sick to avoid work or school. (R)
12. I don’t gossip about other people’s business.

Final AMS-Sex

External

1. Because I could get in trouble with my parents.
2. Because I worry my parents would get upset.
3. Because my parents would not be pleased if I did have sex.
4. Because my parents would disapprove of me ha‎ving sex.
5. Because my parents would get mad at me for ha‎ving sex.
6. Because that’s the rule in our family.

Introjected

1. Because I would feel guilty for ha‎ving sex.
2. Because I would feel awful for ha‎ving sex.
3. Because I would feel ashamed for ha‎ving sex.
4. Because I would feel embarrassed for ha‎ving sex.
5. Because I would feel like a failure for ha‎ving sex.
6. Because I can only feel good about myself if I do not have sex.

Identified

1. Because I believe sexual abstinence is the responsible thing to do.
2. Because sexual abstinence is personally important to me.
3. Because I have strong values regarding sexual abstinence.
4. Because I believe it is important to be sexually abstinent.
5. Because I believe it is the right thing to do.
6. Because I personally value the benefits of staying away from sex.

Integrated

1. Because sexual abstinence is consistent with what I value most in life.
2. Because being sexually abstinent is consistent with my life goals.
3. Because being sexually abstinent is important to my sense of identity.
4. Because being sexually abstinent reflects what I value most in life.
5. Because sexual abstinence is part of the way I’ve chosen to live my life.
6. Because sexual abstinence is an important part of my identity.

Initial AMS-Sex

External

Avoidant

1. Because I am afraid I will get caught.
2. Because I do not want to get in trouble with my parents.
3. Because my parents would get upset.
4. Because I feel pressure from others to keep from ha‎ving sex.
5. Because my parents pressure me to not have sex.
6. Because my parents would not be pleased if I did have sex.
7. Because I do not want to have a bad reputation.
8. Because I am afraid people might find out that I had sex.
9. Because my parents would disapprove of me ha‎ving sex.
10. Because my friends would disapprove of me ha‎ving sex.
11. Because my parents would get mad at me for ha‎ving sex.
12. Because my friends would get mad at me for ha‎ving sex.

Approach

1. Because I want to please people who do not want me to have sex.
2. Because my friends think I should wait to have sex.
3. Because my friends think sexual abstinence is best.
4. Because my friends really want me to abstain from sex.
5. Because my parents insist that I keep from ha‎ving sex.
6. Because my friends insist that I keep from ha‎ving sex.
7. Because my parents say I should stay away from sex.
8. Because my friends think I should stay away from sex.
9. Because my parents expect me to stay away from sex.
10. Because my friends expect me to stay away from sex.
11. Because that’s the rule in our family.
12. Because I want to have a good reputation.
13. Because other people think it is a good idea.

Introjected

Avoidant

1. Because I do not want to disappoint my parents.
2. Because I do not want to disappoint my friends.
3. Because I would feel guilty for ha‎ving sex.
4. Because I would feel bad about myself for ha‎ving sex.
5. Because I would feel awful for ha‎ving sex.
6. Because I would feel ashamed for ha‎ving sex.
7. Because I would feel embarrassed for ha‎ving sex.
8. Because I would feel like a failure for ha‎ving sex.
9. Because I would be upset at myself for ha‎ving sex.
10. Because I do not want my parents to think I am a bad person.
11. Because I do not want my friends to think I am a bad person.
12. Because I do not want to lose the respect of my parents.
13. Because I do not want to lose the respect of my peers.
14. Because other kids won’t like me if I am sexually active.

Approach

1. Because I want my parents to think I am a good person.
2. Because I want my friends to think I am a good person.
3. Because I want my parents to see me in a positive way.
4. Because I want my friends to see me in a positive way.
5. Because I want my parents to approve of me.
6. Because I want my peers to approve of me.
7. Because I can only feel good about myself if I do not have sex.
8. Because I feel proud when I can stay away from sex.
9. Because I want other kids to like me for staying away from sex.

Identified

1. Because being sexually active now is against my personal beliefs.
2. Because being sexually active now is against my personal standards.
3. Because being sexually active now is against my personal values.
4. Because I don’t believe in sex before marriage.
5. Because I believe sexual abstinence is the responsible thing to do.
6. Because sexual abstinence is personally important to me.
7. Because I have chosen sexual abstinence as a way to reach my personal goals.
8. Because I believe sexual abstinence is a good thing for my personal growth.
9. Because being sexually abstinent will help me become the person I want to be.
10. Because sexual abstinence before marriage is an important principle for me.
11. Because I have strong values regarding sexual abstinence.
12. Because I strongly value sexual abstinence.
13. Because sexual abstinence during adolescence is the reasonable thing to do.
14. Because I believe it is important to be sexually abstinent.
15. Because I believe it is the right thing to do.
16. Because I personally value the benefits of staying away from sex.

Integrated

1. Because ha‎ving sex now would go against who I am.
2. Because being sexually abstinent is important to my life goals.
3. Because being sexually abstinent is an important part of who I am.
4. Because being sexually abstinent is an expression of who I am.
5. Because being sexually abstinent reflects who I am.
6. Because being sexually abstinent allows me to live true to my core values.
7. Because sexual abstinence is consistent with what I value most in life.
8. Because being sexually abstinent is consistent with my life goals.
9. Because being sexually abstinent is important to my sense of identity.
10. Because being sexually abstinent reflects what I value most in life.
11. Because sexual abstinence is part of the way I’ve chosen to live my life.
12. Because being sexually abstinence is important to many aspects of my life.
13. Because sexual abstinence is an important part of my identity.