Sex Anxiety Inventory

Abstract

The Sex Anxiety Inventory (SAI), developed by L. H. Janda and E. E. O’Grady in 1980, is a 25-item self-report measure designed to quantify the intensity of sexual anxiety and apprehension experienced by an individual. The instrument assesses reactions across various dimensions of sexual life, including interpersonal relationships, cognitive processes, and specific sexual behaviors. Utilizing a forced-choice format, the SAI presents scenarios ranging from casual social interactions to fantasies and specific sexual acts. Elevated scores on the SAI are indicative of a generalized emotional tendency to approach sexual stimuli with significant stress, nervousness, or fear, rather than with anticipated pleasure or excitement.

Keywords

Sexual anxiety, psychological assessment, Janda and O’Grady, sexology, fear of sex, self-report inventory, psychometrics, sexual attitudes, forced-choice format.

Authors

L. H. Janda, E. E. O’Grady.

Purpose

The principal objective of the Sex Anxiety Inventory (SAI) is to provide a standardized, psychometrically sound, and efficient methodology for assessing an individual’s generalized level of sexual anxiety. This measurement tool serves dual functions within the field of psychology and sexology.

In research contexts, the SAI is primarily utilized to establish empirical correlations between sexual apprehension and other psychological constructs, such as personality traits, relationship satisfaction, or specific behavioral outcomes. In clinical settings, the scale functions as a valuable screening instrument, helping professionals quickly identify individuals who exhibit elevated levels of sexual stress, worry, or tension, and who might subsequently benefit from targeted interventions like sex therapy or specialized counseling.

Ultimately, the scale is designed to differentiate between individuals who maintain generally positive and comfortable views toward sexual activity and discourse, and those who experience significant emotional distress, worry, or tension when confronted with sexual stimuli, thoughts, or actions.

Construct

The core psychological construct measured by the SAI is sexual anxiety. This construct is defined as a pervasive, negative affective state encompassing apprehension, tension, and worry specifically focused on various aspects of sexuality, including sexual performance, interactional competence in social sexual settings, and the anticipation of sexual activities.

This anxiety is multidimensional, incorporating distinct components:

• Cognitive elements: Worry concerning potential failure, discovery of non-sanctioned activities, or negative judgment.
• Emotional elements: Subjective feelings of terror, nervousness, or general unease.
• Behavioral elements: Tendencies toward avoidance of sexual situations, intimacy, or direct sexual communication.

The scale operationalizes this complex construct by presenting 25 items that span a broad range of sexual and sexually suggestive contexts. These include items related to masturbation, initiating relationships, flirting, group sex, and extramarital relationships, ensuring that the measurement captures a wide spectrum of potential anxiety triggers rather than focusing solely on performance.

Validity

During the initial development phase, Janda and O’Grady placed significant emphasis on establishing robust content validity. This involved ensuring that the 25 forced-choice items comprehensively and adequately sampled the entire domain of sexual apprehension and related negative emotional responses.

Empirical validation efforts, which include assessments of criterion validity, concurrent validity (comparison against existing measures of general anxiety), and discriminant validity, are essential for confirming the scale’s utility. The original 1980 publication detailed these initial psychometric findings, supporting the scale’s ability to measure the intended construct.

Further comprehensive summaries and analyses of the SAI’s psychometric properties—including its validation against contemporary measures of general anxiety and specific sexual function—are often cited in subsequent scholarly reviews, such as the Handbook of Sexuality-Related Measures by Fisher, Davis, Yarber, and Davis (2010).

Reliability

The reliability of the Sex Anxiety Inventory concerns the consistency and stability of its measurements. The developers specifically sought to achieve high internal consistency, which guarantees that all 25 constituent items contribute cohesively to the measurement of a single, unified anxiety score.

Standard reliability metrics, such as Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, typically report high values for the SAI, confirming the homogeneity of the items and the scale’s ability to reliably measure the general anxiety construct. Furthermore, test-retest reliability studies have been conducted, which support the scale’s temporal stability, indicating that an individual’s measured level of sexual anxiety remains relatively consistent across repeated administrations, provided no major intervening life events occur.

Factor Analysis

The Sex Anxiety Inventory is fundamentally conceptualized and utilized as a unidimensional scale. The primary objective of the developers was to capture a single, overarching factor representing generalized sexual apprehension, rather than attempting to delineate multiple, distinct sub-factors (e.g., separating performance anxiety from social shyness or moral guilt).

While detailed documentation of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) is necessary to fully confirm the exact structural integrity, the scale’s principal strength lies in offering a rapid, global index of sexual anxiety. This focused, unidimensional structure ensures that scoring is straightforward and interpretation is direct, making it highly suitable for quick screening in both research and clinical environments.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report inventory (Psychometric scale)

Format: 25 forced-choice items, typically scored dichotomously (0 or 1). A score of 1 is assigned to the response option associated with higher sexual anxiety.

Language Available: Primarily English (original development).

Population Group: Non-clinical and clinical populations.

Age Group: Typically utilized with adults (18 years and older).

Population Details: Used to assess generalized sexual apprehension in both healthy and distressed populations. The initial validation sample consisted largely of university students.

Test Methodology: Respondents are instructed to select the option (a or b) that most accurately reflects their personal feelings or beliefs regarding the described sexual scenario or attitude. The scoring key, often denoted by an asterisk (*) in research materials, assigns points to the response indicating higher anxiety.

Keywords

Psychometrics, self-assessment, anxiety measures, sex therapy, sexual attitudes, forced-choice format, clinical psychology, psychological screening.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1980.

Permissions & Fee: The scale was formally introduced via its publication in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. Researchers planning high-volume or commercial applications are advised to consult the journal publisher or the original authors for specific usage permissions and associated fees. The original reference provides the foundational details necessary for standard academic research use.

The scale items were historically accessible online at one point. The original link for reference is: http://ajeducation.com/psy/quizes/sex-anxiety.htm.

Reference’s

• Janda, L. H., & O’Grady, E. E. (1980). Development of a sex anxiety inventory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 169-175.

• Fisher, T. D., Davis, C. M., Yarber, W. L., & Davis, S. L. (2010). Handbook of Sexuality-Related Measures. New York: Routledge.

Items of the Sex Anxiety Inventory

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

1. Buying a pornographic book

   • a. wouldn’t bother me

   • b. would make me nervous*

2. Extramarital sex

   • a. is O.K. if everyone agrees

   • b. can break up families*

3. Initiating sexual relationships

   • a. is a very stressful experience*

   • b. causes me no problem at all

4. Oral sex

   • a. would arouse me

   • b. would terrify me*

5. When I meet someone I’m attracted to…

   • a. I get to know him or her

   • b. I feel nervous*

6. When I was younger…

   • a. I was looking forward to ha‎ving sex

   • b. the thought of sex scared me*

7. When I engage in petting…

   • a. I feel scared at first*

   • b. I thoroughly enjoy it

8. After ha‎ving sexual thoughts…

   • a. I feel aroused

   • b. I feel jittery*

9. Masturbation

   • a. causes me to worry*

   • b. can be a useful substitute

10. Sex…

    • a. can cause as much anxiety as pleasure*

    • b. on the whole is good and enjoyable

11. I feel nervous…

    • a. about initiating sexual relations*

    • b. about nothing‚ when it comes to members of the opposite sex

12. When others flirt with me…

    • a. I don’t know what to do*

    • b. I flirt back

13. Group sex…

    • a. would scare me to death*

    • b. might be interesting

14. If in the future I committed adultery…

    • a. I would probably get caught*

    • b. I wouldn’t feel bad about it

15. I would…

    • a. feel too nervous to tell a dirty joke in mixed company*

    • b. tell a dirty joke if it were funny

16. Dirty jokes…

    • a. make me feel uncomfortable*

    • b. often make me laugh

17. When I awake from sex dreams…

    • a. I feel pleasant and relaxed

    • b. I feel tense*

18. When I have sexual desires

    • a. I worry about what I should do*

    • b. I do something to satisfy them

19. If in the future I committed adultery

    • a. it would be nobody’s business but my own

    • b. I would worry about my spouse’s finding out*

20. Casual sex…

    • a. is better than no sex at all

    • b. can hurt many people*

21. Extramarital sex…

    • a. is sometimes necessary

    • b. can damage one’s career*

22. Sexual advances…

    • a. leave me feeling tense*

    • b. are welcomed

23. When I have sexual relations…

    • a. I feel satisfied

    • b. I worry about being discovered*

24. When talking about sex in mixed company

    • a. I feel nervous*

    • b. I sometimes get excited

25. If I were to flit with someone

    • a. I would worry about his or her reaction*

    • b. I would enjoy it