Trueblood Sexual Attitudes Questionnaire

Abstract

The Trueblood Sexual Attitudes Questionnaire (TSAQ) is an 80-item psychological instrument designed to reliably measure sexual attitudes and attitude change, particularly among college students enrolled in human sexuality courses. The scale is uniquely structured based on Story’s (1979) approach, dividing measurement into two distinct domains: attitudes acceptable for Self (40 items) versus attitudes acceptable for Others (40 items).

The questionnaire covers five core content areas: Autoeroticism, Heterosexuality, Homosexuality, Sexual Variations, and Commercial Sex. Respondents use a 9-point Likert-type scale to indicate their level of agreement or disagreement. The revised version (1999) demonstrated excellent overall internal consistency, with coefficient alpha values of .93 for the Self scale and .96 for the Other scale, and high test-retest reliability (.94).

Keywords

Sexual attitudes, Trueblood Sexual Attitudes Questionnaire, TSAQ, attitude change, human sexuality, college students, Autoeroticism, Homosexuality, Heterosexuality, Commercial Sex, Sexual Variations, Likert scale

Authors

K. Trueblood (original developer), Roseann Hannon, David Hall, Vianey Gonzalez, Holly Cacciapaglia

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Trueblood Sexual Attitudes Questionnaire (TSAQ) is to reliably quantify attitude change concerning the most common topics related to sexual behavior taught in academic human sexuality courses. This makes the scale highly useful for pre-test and post-test assessments in educational settings.

A secondary, but equally important, objective of the TSAQ is to facilitate comparison of sexual attitudes across various demographic subgroups, including differences based on gender, ethnicity, and sexual experience. By separating attitudes toward the self from attitudes toward others, the instrument allows researchers to track nuanced differences in personal endorsement versus general tolerance of sexual behaviors.

Construct

The TSAQ measures the psychological construct of Sexual Attitudes, specifically focusing on the degree of acceptance (liberalism) versus non-acceptance (conservatism) regarding a wide range of sexual behaviors and concepts. The core feature of the construct is its bifactorial structure, measuring attitudes toward:

• Attitudes toward Self: Personal acceptance of engaging in specific sexual behaviors.
• Attitudes toward Others: Acceptance of other individuals engaging in the same specific sexual behaviors.

This division allows for a refined understanding of personal sexual morality versus social tolerance. The content is further categorized into five major subscales, ensuring comprehensive coverage of topics typically addressed in college-level curriculum.

Validity

The validity of the TSAQ is supported by its content development and its ability to differentiate between expected groups. Item development was based on a thorough analysis of content found in college sexuality course textbooks, ensuring strong content validity relevant to its intended use in educational assessment.

Findings from the 1999 study (N=194) provided evidence of discriminant validity related to ethnicity, demonstrating that Caucasian participants held significantly more liberal attitudes on both the Self and Other scales compared to Asian and Hispanic participants (F(2, 157) = 10.86, p < .001). Furthermore, the scale demonstrated construct validity by confirming the theoretical expectation that participants generally hold significantly more liberal attitudes concerning the behavior of others than their own personal behavior (Self versus Other comparisons were significantly different, p < .001).

Reliability

The TSAQ demonstrates high levels of internal consistency and stability over time. The overall measure exhibited excellent internal reliability, with a total score coefficient alpha of .97 in the 1999 validation study. Reliability for the main composite scales was also strong: the Self scale achieved an alpha of .93, and the Other scale achieved an alpha of .96.

The test-retest reliability, assessed after a three-week interval, was found to be excellent at .94 (p < .01). While most of the 10 specific subscales (five content areas across Self/Other domains) showed acceptable to excellent internal consistency (ranging up to .98), the Heterosexuality subscale scores were noted as being weaker, with coefficients as low as .56 for the Other scale.

Factor Analysis

While the original development (Trueblood, Hannon, & Hall, 1998) utilized an analysis derived from content coverage in sexuality textbooks, the structure intrinsically relies on two overarching factors: the Self-Acceptance factor and the Other-Acceptance factor. These two factors are overlaid upon five predefined content subscales, resulting in 10 distinct areas of measurement.

The five established content subscales are:

• Autoeroticism (including Masturbation/Erotic content)
• Heterosexuality
• Homosexuality
• Sexual Variations
• Commercial Sex

The empirical analysis confirmed that attitudes toward Self were significantly more conservative than attitudes toward Others across all five content areas, supporting the validity of measuring these constructs separately.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report attitude questionnaire

Format: 80 items (40 Self, 40 Other) rated on a 9-point Likert-type scale (1, I completely disagree, to 9, I completely agree). Some items are reverse scored.

Language Available: English (as presented in the source content)

Population Group: General population (validated primarily on college students)

Age Group: Typically late adolescence and emerging adulthood (median age of validation sample was 20), though applicable to other adult populations.

Population Details: The validation study included 194 college students (143 female, 51 male) from Northern California, including Caucasian, Asian, and Hispanic participants.

Test Methodology: Can be administered as a paper-and-pencil instrument or utilizing online survey software. Completion time typically ranges from 15 to 20 minutes.

Keywords

Psychological scale, attitude measurement, sexual behavior, college education, psychometrics, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, survey instrument, sexual morality, human sexuality

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided for all authors. David S. Hall’s correspondence email: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: David S. Hall, 2111 Lido Circle, Stockton, CA 95207

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was originally developed in 1998 (Trueblood, Hannon, & Hall) and revised in 1999 (Hannon, Hall, Gonzalez, & Cacciapaglia). The instrument is listed in the GASP Measures Database, an American Psychological Association division site. Information regarding specific fees or permissions for commercial use is not provided in the source content, though correspondence details for one author (David S. Hall) are listed.

Reference’s

Duyan, V., & Duyan, G. (2005). Turkish social work students’ attitudes toward sexuality. Sex Roles, 52, 697–706. GASP Measures Database. Retrieved October 4, 2008, from apps.psych.utah.edu/psych/gasp/newbindes.jsp

Hannon, R., Hall, D., Gonzalez, V., & Cacciapaglia, H. (1999). Revision and reliability of a measure of sexual attitudes. Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality, 2. Retrieved October 4, 2008, from ejhs.org/volume2/hannon/attitudes.htm

Petroski, J., Spears, J., Dempsey, A., & Kapalka, G. M. (2007). Relationship between attachment style and risky sexual behavior. In G.M. Kapalka (Ed.), Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the New Jersey Counseling Association (pp. 111–124). Retrieved on April 30, 2009 from www.njcounseling.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=38&Itemid=129

Story, M. D. (1979). A longitudinal study of the effects of a university human sexuality course on attitudes toward human sexuality. The Journal of Sex Research, 15, 184–204.

Trueblood, K., Hannon, R., & Hall, D. S. (1998, June). Development and validation of a measure of sexual attitudes. Paper presented at the meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Western Region Annual Conference, Honolulu, HI.

Items of the Trueblood Sexual Attitudes Questionnaire

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

Please answer the following questions about your attitudes toward your personal sexual behavior by writing the number between 1 and 9 that best represents how you feel in response to each question.

Completely Agree 1…………………..2…………………..3…………………..4…………………..5…………………..6…………………..7…………………..8…………………..9 Completely Disagree

1. I find that masturbating is an acceptable sexual outlet when I am not currently involved with a partner.

2. I would engage in sexual intercourse with my fiancée before marriage.

3. I would engage in oral genital sexual stimulation with a partner of the same sex.

4. I would watch pornography with my partner to learn new sexual techniques.

5. I could be involved in more than one sexual relationship at a time.

6. I would find it acceptable to dress in the clothing of the opposite gender if I found it sexually arousing.

7. It is acceptable for me to engage in bisexuality.

8. Videotaping myself and my partner during sexual activity is acceptable to me if it is arousing.

9. I do not believe there should be censorship of sexual materials because I want the freedom to enjoy sexual materials.

10. It is acceptable for me to be attracted to members of the same sex as well as members of the opposite sex.

11. I would find it acceptable to inflict pain on a consenting individual if I found it sexually arousing.

12. I find it acceptable to watch other people engage in sexual activity.

13. I personally believe it is acceptable for me to think or daydream about sexual activity.

14. I believe I would engage in sex more often if I watched pornography.

15. I would use my sexual activity only for reproduction, not for pleasure.

16. When I am engaged in sexual activity with my partner, it is acceptable to fantasize about someone else.

17. I would sell my sexual services for money.

18. I would enjoy being dominated in a sexual relationship.

19. I would use sexual activity for my own personal sexual pleasure.

20. I would enjoy being the dominator in a sexual relationship.

21. Even if I were married, I would engage in masturbation as an acceptable means of sexual outlet.

22. It would be acceptable to me if a member of my own sex made an advance toward me.

23. I would watch pornography to enhance my sexual relationships.

24. I would appear in sexually explicit entertainment for money.

25. I would engage in sexual intercourse with a partner of the same sex.

26. I would use erotica (magazines, videos, books) as a means to stimulate sexual arousal for myself.

27. I would engage in sexual intercourse only with my spouse.

28. I would find it acceptable to receive a sexually obscene phone call if I found it sexually arousing.

29. I would engage in mutual touching with a partner of the same sex.

30. It is acceptable for me to engage in homosexuality.

31. I would engage in group sex (3 or more people consenting).

32. I would engage in sexual intercourse with a person of the opposite sex the first time we met.

33. If I were single, I would engage in masturbation as a means of sexual outlet.

34. I would engage in sexual intercourse only if I loved my partner.

35. It is acceptable for me to engage in prostitution.

36. I consider it acceptable for me to be attracted to members of the same sex.

37. I would engage in oral genital sexual stimulation with a partner of the opposite sex.

38. I would not watch pornography because it is harmful.

39. I would engage in anal sexual stimulation with a partner of the opposite sex.

40. When I am in a sexual relationship, I think it is still acceptable to fantasize about someone else.

The following questions refer to your beliefs about others.

1. It is acceptable if other people are involved in more than one sexual relationship at a time.

2. While other people are engaged in sexual activity with their partner, it is acceptable for them to fantasize about someone else.

3. It is acceptable if other people use erotica (magazines, videos, books) as a means to stimulate sexual arousal for themselves.

4. It is acceptable for another person to engage in oral genital sexual stimulation with a partner of the same sex.

5. It is acceptable for other people to receive sexually obscene phone calls if they find this sexually arousing.

6. It is acceptable for other people to think or daydream about sexual activity.

7. It is acceptable for other people to engage in prostitution.

8. It is acceptable if other people appear in sexually explicit entertainment for money.

9. It is acceptable for other people to engage in masturbation as a means of sexual outlet if they are single.

10. It is acceptable for other people to watch pornography to enhance their sexual relationships.

11. Other people should not watch pornography because it is harmful.

12. It is acceptable for other people to videotape themselves and their partner during sexual activity if it is arousing to them.

13. It is acceptable for other people to engage in group sex (3 or more people consenting).

14. It is acceptable for another person to be attracted to members of the same sex as well as the opposite sex.

15. It is acceptable if other people find it acceptable when someone of their same sex makes an advance toward them.

16. It is acceptable for another person to enjoy being dominated in a sexual relationship.

17. It is acceptable for another person to engage in anal sexual stimulation with a partner of the opposite sex.

18. It is acceptable if other people watch pornography with their partner to learn new sexual techniques.

19. It is acceptable for other people to engage in sexual intercourse with a person of the opposite sex the first time they meet.

20. I believe other people would engage in sex more often if they watched pornography.

21. It is acceptable for another person to engage in sexual intercourse with a partner of the same sex.

22. It is acceptable for other people to engage in homosexual activity.

23. Even if they are married, it is acceptable for other people to engage in masturbation as a means of sexual outlet.

24. It is acceptable for other people to dress in the clothing of the opposite gender if they find it sexually arousing.

25. It is acceptable if other people are attracted to members of the same sex.

26. It is acceptable if other people use sexual activity for their personal sexual pleasure.

27. It is acceptable if other people engage in sexual intercourse with their fiancée before marriage.

28. When they are in a sexual relationship, it is still acceptable for other people to fantasize about someone else.

29. It is acceptable for another person to engage in oral genital sexual stimulation with a partner of the opposite sex.

30. It is acceptable if other people engage in sexual intercourse only with a partner they love.

31. It is acceptable for other people to use masturbation as a sexual outlet when they are not currently involved with a partner.

32. It is acceptable for other people to use sexual activity only for reproduction, not pleasure.

33. It is acceptable for other people to inflict pain on another consenting individual if they find it sexually arousing.

34. It is acceptable for another person to engage in mutual touching with a partner of the same sex.

35. It is acceptable for other people to engage in bisexuality.

36. It is acceptable for another person to enjoy being the dominator in a sexual relationship.

37. It is acceptable if other people only engage in sexual intercourse with their own spouse.

38. It is acceptable if another person watches others engage in sexual activity.

39. It is acceptable for other people to believe there should not be censorship of sexual materials because they want the freedom to enjoy sexual materials.

40. It is acceptable for other people to sell their sexual services for money.