Depth of Sexual Involvement Scale

Abstract

The Depth of Sexual Involvement Scale (DSIS) was developed by Marita P. McCabe and John K. Collins to quantify the level of sexual intimacy—both desired and experienced—across various stages of heterosexual dating relationships. Initially constructed as a 16-item scale, it was refined into a 12-item Guttman-type scale, ensuring items are ordered hierarchically based on intimacy. The instrument is designed for use with adolescents and young adults, allowing researchers to study sexual progression across defined relationship stages: the first date, several dates, and going steady. The scale has demonstrated strong reliability and validity in measuring this predominantly unidimensional construct.

Keywords

Sexual involvement, dating behavior, sexual intimacy, Guttman scale, adolescent sexuality, relationship stages, sexual desire, sexual experience.

Authors

Marita P. McCabe, John K. Collins.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Depth of Sexual Involvement Scale (DSIS) is to provide a standardized, hierarchical measure of the extent of sexual intimacy. Specifically, it aims to measure both the desired sexual behaviors and the experienced sexual behaviors of individuals within the context of heterosexual dating. By administering the scale across different, clearly defined stages of dating—such as the first date, subsequent casual dates, and committed relationships (going steady)—the instrument allows for the tracking of sexual progression and comparisons between desires and actual experiences over time.

The scale was initially developed by extending the work of Collins (1974) and incorporating items from Luckey and Nass (1969), culminating in a robust tool applicable to research involving adolescents and young adults navigating romantic relationships. The definitions of the three relationship stages used are: First Date (the first time going out with a new, attractive dating partner), Several Dates (going out consistently but retaining freedom to date others), and Going Steady (mutual, implicit understanding that dating will exclude others).

Construct

The DSIS measures the construct of Depth of Sexual Involvement, conceptualized as a unidimensional continuum of progressively intimate sexual activities. Because the instrument utilizes a Guttman-type scale structure, it assumes that engaging in a more intimate behavior implies the prior engagement or desire for all less intimate behaviors. This structure ensures that the items are ranked consistently in terms of perceived intimacy, ranging from non-sexual contact (e.g., hand holding) to full sexual intercourse (intercourse).

The final scale consists of 12 behaviors derived from an initial 16-item pool, with adjacent items showing similar responses being combined (e.g., “hand holding” and “light embrace” were merged). The scale is highly flexible, allowing researchers to assess either the individual’s desires or their actual experiences at any specified stage of dating.

Validity

Construct validity for the DSIS was established by McCabe and Collins (1984). Administration to a diverse sample of 156 subjects (aged 18 to 48 years) demonstrated that as the dating relationship progressed toward greater involvement and commitment, the measured level of sexual activity—for both desired and experienced behaviors—significantly increased for both males and females. A separate study involving 259 subjects further supported construct validity by revealing expected gender differences: males generally reported a higher desire for sexual experience than females until a committed relationship was established. This research also showed that females desired greater sexual involvement correlational with increasing age.

Criterion validity was demonstrated by examining agreement among established couples. In a study of 29 couples who were “going steady,” partners were asked to indicate their desired level of sexual experience for that relationship stage. Results showed substantial agreement: 62% of the couples reported the exact same number of affirmative responses, and a total of 77% scored within one affirmative response of their partner. This high level of concordance supports the scale’s ability to accurately reflect shared relational sexual standards.

Reliability

The reliability of the DSIS was thoroughly evaluated by McCabe and Collins (1984) through both temporal stability and internal consistency measures.

• Test-Retest Reliability: Test-retest coefficients were calculated over an 8-week period using 61 student volunteers. For experienced behavior, the coefficients were reported as .83 (first date), .73 (several dates), and .96 (going steady). For sexual desires, the coefficients were .85 (first date), .80 (several dates), and .78 (going steady). These figures indicate acceptable to strong temporal stability across different relationship stages.

• Internal Consistency and Scalability: The scale was administered to a large sample of 2,001 volunteers (aged 16 to 25 years) to assess the scalability of the items. The instrument demonstrated high scalability, with the coefficient of reproducibility exceeding .90 and the corresponding coefficient of scalability greater than .70. Internal consistency, measured using coefficient alpha, was consistently strong, exceeding .87 for each of the six uses of the scale (behavior and desire across three dating stages).

Factor Analysis

The Depth of Sexual Involvement Scale was explicitly designed as a Guttman-type scale, which necessitates a strong underlying unidimensional structure. The authors evaluated the scalability of the items using data from 2,001 participants, confirming that the scale functions as intended. The statistical results—including a coefficient of reproducibility above .90 and a coefficient of scalability above .70—strongly support the interpretation of the scale as measuring a single, cumulative dimension of sexual involvement.

These findings indicate that the 12 items form a reliable hierarchy, suggesting that traditional exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis would confirm a single dominant factor representing the degree of sexual intimacy, consistent with the Guttman model.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric self-report scale utilizing Guttman scaling principles.

Format: 12 behavioral items requiring a dichotomous response (Yes/No) indicating whether the behavior has been experienced or is desired at a specific dating stage. The scale requires approximately 3 minutes for a single administration.

Language Available: English (Developed in Australia).

Population Group: Adolescents and young adults involved in heterosexual dating.

Age Group: Typically 16 to 25 years, though validation samples included subjects up to 48 years.

Population Details: Validation studies primarily utilized high school and university students.

Test Methodology: Respondents circle “yes” or “no.” Scoring can be achieved either by determining the last item receiving an affirmative response (Guttman scoring) or by summing the total number of affirmative responses. Higher total scores indicate a greater depth of desired or experienced sexual intimacy.

Keywords

Sexual progression, dating behavior, scale development, measure of intimacy, dating relationships, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, sexuality research.

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

Test Year: 1984 (Year of primary validation and publication of the 12-item scale).

Permissions & Fee: Information regarding current permissions and fees is not provided in the source material. Researchers seeking to use the scale should address correspondence to the author, Marita P. McCabe.

Reference’s

Collins, J. K. (1974). Adolescent data intimacy: Norms and peer expectations. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 3, 317–328.

Collins, J. K., & McCabe, M. P. (1980). The influence of sex roles on psychobiological and psychoaffectional orientations to dating. In C. A. Rigg & L. B. Sherin (Eds.), Adolescent medicine: Present and future concepts (pp. 181–195). Chicago: Year Book Medical Publishers.

Guttman, L. (1944). A basis for scaling qualitative ideas. American Sociological Review, 9, 139–150.

Luckey, E., & Nass, G. A. (1969). A comparison of sexual attitudes and behavior in an international sample. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 31, 364–379.

McCabe, M. P. (1982). The influence of sex and sex role on the dating attitudes and behavior of Australian youth. Journal of Adolescent Health Care, 3, 54–62.

McCabe, M. P., & Collins, J. K. (1981). Dating desires and experiences: A new approach to an old question. Australian Journal of Sex, Marriage and the Family, 2, 165–173.

McCabe, M. P., & Collins, J. K. (1983). The sexual and affectional attitudes and experiences of Australian adolescents during dating: The effects of age, church attendance, type of school and socioeconomic class. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 12, 525–539.

McCabe, M. P., & Collins, J. K. (1984). Measurement of depth of desired and experienced sexual involvement at different stages of dating. The Journal of Sex Research, 20, 377–390.

Items of the Depth of Sexual Involvement Scale

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

1. Hand holding: holding hands or locking arms, generally while walking.

2. Light kissing: casual goodnight kiss on the lips.

3. Necking: close body contact, with hugging and prolonged kissing.

4. Light breast petting: caress of the girl’s breasts outside the clothing.

5. Heavy breast petting: fondling or kissing of the girl’s breasts under the clothing.

6. Light genital petting of the female: touching genital area of the girl, outside the clothing.

7. Heavy genital petting of female: touching genital area of the girl, under the clothing.

8. Manual stimulation of male genitals.

9. Oral stimulation of female genitals.

10. Oral stimulation of male genitals.

11. Petting of each other’s genitals resulting in orgasm for one or both partners.

12. Intercourse.