Sexual Function Scale

Abstract

The Sexual Function Scale (SFS) is a comprehensive psychometric instrument developed by Marita P. McCabe to assess the multifaceted factors contributing to an individual’s sexual functioning. It evaluates historical influences, including attitudes and experiences stemming from the family of origin and the period of adolescence, alongside current individual and relationship dynamics. The SFS was originally conceptualized to identify the factors associated with sexual dysfunction in both males and females, drawing initial questions directly from established literature regarding the scale’s etiology.

The scale is applicable to both sexually functional and sexually dysfunctional populations. Clinically, the SFS serves as a crucial diagnostic tool, helping therapists identify specific psychological and experiential factors that require intervention and therapeutic focus. The SFS structure is divided into three major sections: Childhood; Puberty and Adolescence; and Current Attitudes and Behavior, each containing multiple subsections.

Keywords

Sexual Function Scale, SFS, Sexual Dysfunction, Psychometrics, Marita P. McCabe, Adolescence, Family of Origin, Clinical Assessment, Sexual Health.

Authors

Marita P. McCabe

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Sexual Function Scale (SFS) is to comprehensively evaluate the complex interplay of historical and contemporary psychological factors that influence an individual’s sexual performance and satisfaction. It is specifically designed to isolate the contributions of early life experiences, including familial attitudes and adolescent sexual development, and integrate them with current relationship quality and personal factors.

The SFS functions both as a research instrument for understanding the causes of sexual functioning variability and as a practical clinical tool. For individuals presenting with sexual dysfunction, the scale provides a structured framework to pinpoint specific areas—such as traumatic experiences, restrictive upbringings, or current relationship distress—that must be addressed during therapy.

Construct

The SFS measures the construct of Sexual Functioning Etiology, viewing sexual health not merely as a biological state but as a developmental outcome influenced heavily by attitudes, experiences, and relational history. The scale operationalizes this construct across three overarching developmental and temporal domains, each containing various subsections designed to cover specific aspects of sexual development and current relational status.

• Childhood: Assessing foundational attitudes and family environment related to sexuality and emotional development.
• Puberty and Adolescence: Evaluating experiences of sexual development, education, and early sexual encounters and attitudes.
• Current Attitudes and Behavior: Measuring contemporary individual sexual self-concept, beliefs, and relationship quality factors relevant to sexual activity.

Validity

The validity of the Sexual Function Scale, particularly its construct validity, was established during its rigorous development process. The initial item pool was created by drawing questions from extensive academic literature concerning the etiology of sexual dysfunction, ensuring that the items conceptually mapped onto the intended theoretical framework. This methodical scale construction provides an inherent foundational level of construct validity.

However, the author notes that further validation studies are necessary to fully demonstrate the robustness of the scale. To achieve a higher level of construct validity, the SFS should be administered concurrently with other established and psychometrically sound measures that assess the specific subconstructs targeted by the SFS subsections.

Reliability

Internal consistency and temporal stability have been assessed for the SFS subscales. Internal consistency was measured using Coefficient alpha, calculated on a substantial sample size of 171 subjects, which included sexually functional, nonclinical sexually dysfunctional, and clinical sexually dysfunctional individuals. These alpha coefficients, reported in the original documentation (Table 1), confirm the reliability of several key subscales.

It is important to note that for certain subsections, the calculation of a unified alpha coefficient may not be appropriate, as some items are designed to tap very separate aspects of a construct or utilize categorical response formats, which inherently limit consistent responding. Test-retest reliability was also assessed by administering the scale to a sample of 60 subjects (30 functional, 30 dysfunctional) across a six-week interval. The resulting test-retest reliability coefficients for each subscale provide evidence for the measure’s stability over time.

Factor Analysis

While the source content does not explicitly detail a formal exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), the scale development process inherently involved rigorous item analysis and structural refinement based on empirical results. The SFS was originally developed as a guided interview, and the responses of the initial 113 subjects (functional and dysfunctional) were used to create quantifiable scales for each question.

Items found to have no significant impact on sexual functioning were systematically removed from the measure. Subsequent administrations to varied clinical and nonclinical samples (McCabe, 1994a, 1994b) allowed the scale to be reorganized and modified, resulting in the three major sections and their respective subsections. This iterative development process ensured that the final structure possesses strong internal consistency and a meaningful multi-dimensional factor structure relevant to the etiology of sexual difficulties.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric Questionnaire / Clinical Assessment Tool

Format: Mixed-format questionnaire utilizing categorical, dichotomous (yes/no), and 5-point Likert-type scale responses. The administration time is approximately 60 minutes (1 hour).

Language Available: English (Original development language).

Population Group: Adults, including individuals who are sexually functional, nonclinical sexually dysfunctional, and clinical sexually dysfunctional.

Age Group: Adult population (Specific age ranges not provided, but implied by developmental and relationship factors assessed).

Population Details: The validation sample used for reliability calculations included 171 subjects, consisting of 82 sexually functional individuals, 51 nonclinical sexually dysfunctional individuals, and 38 clinical sexually dysfunctional individuals.

Test Methodology: Self-report questionnaire. Scoring involves calculating a total score for each subsection by summing items scored in the same direction. Categorical items are treated as informational and do not contribute to the total quantitative subsection scores. Maximum possible scores vary across subsections due to differing item counts.

Keywords

Sexual Functioning, Sexual Development, Relationship Factors, Sexual Dysfunction Etiology, Psychological Assessment, Marital Therapy, Psychometrics, Clinical Psychology.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Marita P. McCabe, School of Psychology, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria, Australia 3125.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale, along with the necessary scoring code, must be obtained directly from the author, Marita P. McCabe, for use with both clinical and research subjects. The source content does not specify a fee structure. The primary validation and modification of the current measure occurred in 1994.

Reference’s

1. McCabe, M. P. (1994a). Childhood, adolescent and current psychological factors associated with sexual dysfunction. Sexual and Marital Therapy, 9, 267–276.

2. McCabe, M. P. (1994b). The influence of the quality of relationship on sexual dysfunction. Australian Journal of Marriage and the Family, 15, 2–8.

Items of the Sexual Function Scale

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

The structure of the Sexual Function Scale is organized into three major sections: Childhood; Puberty and Adolescence; and Current Attitudes and Behavior. The scale employs varied response modes, including:

• Categorical items (e.g., What type of contraception do you use?)
• Dichotomous items (e.g., Did you have any unpleasant sexual experiences during adolescence?)
• 5-point Likert-type scale items (e.g., How often do you feel highly aroused before you have intercourse?)