Sexual Socialization Instrument

Abstract

The Sexual Socialization Instrument (SSI) was developed to quantitatively assess the degree of permissive sexual influences exerted by parents and peers on adolescents and young adults, primarily within a university setting. The instrument was initially created for a longitudinal study investigating the complex relationships among students’ background variables, social affiliations, and subsequent sexual attitudes, values, and experiences.

The SSI is comprised of two distinct primary scales: the Parental Sexual Socialization Scale and the Peer Sexual Socialization Scale. Both scales were administered in short forms during the initial data collection in 1987 among 557 first-year students. Subsequently, longer forms were developed and utilized in 1991 for the follow-up administration to 303 of these students (now seniors) to enhance the internal consistency reliability of the measure. The response format for all items utilizes a 5-point Likert-type choices scale.

Keywords

Sexual socialization, parental influence, peer influence, permissive sexuality, college students, psychometrics, Likert scale, adolescent development.

Authors

Ilsa L. Lottes, Peter J. Kuriloff

Purpose

The primary objective of the Sexual Socialization Instrument (SSI) is to provide a standardized, quantitative measure of the extent to which parental and peer influences promote a permissive approach to sexual behavior among young adults.

The term permissive in this context specifically refers to the acceptance or encouragement of nonmarital sexual interactions. A high score on the SSI suggests that the individual is subject to influences that encourage sexual involvement across a wide spectrum of relationships, ranging from casual encounters to long-term commitments. Conversely, a nonpermissive influence discourages casual sex and generally advocates for either abstinence or sexual activity reserved exclusively for loving, long-term relationships.

Construct

The SSI measures the psychological construct of Sexual Socialization as received from two distinct and crucial sources during young adulthood: parents and peers. The scale is inherently two-dimensional, consisting of the Parental Sexual Socialization Scale (PSSS) and the Peer Sexual Socialization Scale (PSSc).

The scale assesses the internalized beliefs or perceived approval/disapproval from these sources regarding sexual frequency, relationship type (casual vs. committed), and overall acceptance of non-monogamous or premarital sexual activity. Researchers interested in a singular measure of overall sexual socialization can combine the scores of the parental and peer scales, a methodology previously employed in related studies by Bell et al. (1992, 1995) and Kuriloff, Lottes, and Bell (1995).

Validity

The construct validity of both the Parental and Peer Sexual Socialization Scales has been empirically supported through evidence derived from predicted correlations and observed group differences, as detailed by Lottes and Kuriloff (1994).

Key findings supporting validity include statistically significant gender differences: men consistently reported higher scores on both the short and long forms of the parental and peer scales, indicating they perceived more permissive socialization influences than women. Furthermore, group membership differences were observed, particularly among male students. Future fraternity members, when tested as first-year students, reported significantly higher scores on the short form of the Peer Socialization Scale compared to independent male students. This difference persisted into the senior year, where fraternity men continued to report significantly higher scores on the long form of the Peer Sexual Socialization Scale compared to non-fraternity senior men. In terms of behavioral outcomes, the short forms of the SSI were positively correlated with the number of sexual partners and negatively correlated with the age of first intercourse, providing strong behavioral evidence for the construct being measured.

Reliability

The reliability of the SSI has been assessed using measures of internal consistency and test-retest reliability, demonstrating acceptable psychometric properties, particularly for the longer forms.

For the initial sample of 557 first-year college students (Lottes & Kuriloff, 1994), the internal consistency, measured using Cronbach alphas, was .60 for both the short forms of the Parental Sexual Socialization Scale and the Peer Sexual Socialization Scale. When the same students were retested as seniors (sample of 303), the test-retest reliabilities for the short forms were .55 and .47, respectively. To improve the measurement precision, the long forms were developed for the senior administration, resulting in substantially improved Cronbach alphas: .78 for the long Parental scale and .85 for the long Peer scale (Lottes & Kuriloff, 1994). The short forms administered to seniors also showed improvement, yielding alphas of .73 and .70, respectively.

Factor Analysis

While explicit factor analysis reports (such as Exploratory or Confirmatory Factor Analysis) are not detailed in the source content, the instrument is structured around a clear two-factor model: Parental Sexual Socialization and Peer Sexual Socialization. The development of separate subscales, and the subsequent efforts to improve the internal consistency of these distinct scales through item addition, strongly implies an underlying theoretical framework supporting two orthogonal or oblique factors reflecting the influence sources.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire, Psychological Scale

Format: 5-point Likert-type choices (Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree)

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: College students (emerging adults)

Age Group: Late adolescence and young adulthood (approximately 18–22 years)

Population Details: Originally validated on samples of 557 first-year university students (48% female) and a longitudinal follow-up sample of 303 seniors (55% female).

Test Methodology: Pencil-and-paper or machine-scoreable answer sheets. Completion time is approximately 5 minutes.

Keywords

Social psychology, sexual attitudes, adolescent development, higher education, psychometric scale, peer pressure, dating behavior, internal consistency.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (Ilsa L. Lottes)

Correspondence Address: Ilsa L. Lottes, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 5401 Wilkens Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21228

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: Initial administration 1987; Long form development 1991.

Permissions: Contact the corresponding author, Ilsa L. Lottes, for permission regarding use.

Fee: Not specified in the source material.

Reference’s

Bell, S. T., Kuriloff, P. J., Lottes I. L., Nathanson, J., Judge, T., & Fogelson- Turet, K. (1992). Rape and callousness in college freshmen: An empirical investigation of a sociocultural model of aggression towards women. Journal of College Student Development, 33, 454–461.

Bell, S. T., Lottes, I. L., & Kuriloff, P. J. (1995). Understanding rape callousness in college students: Results of a panel study. Unpublished manuscript.

Kuriloff, P. J., Lottes, I. L., & Bell, S. T. (1995). The socialization of sexual misconduct in college students. Unpublished manuscript.

Lottes, I. L., & Kuriloff, P. J. (1994). Sexual socialization differences by gender, Greek membership, ethnicity, and religious background. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 18, 203–219.

Items of the Sexual Socialization Instrument

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

Below you will see five numbers corresponding to five choices. Choose the response that best describes your degree of agreement/disagreement with each statement. Write or shade in only one response for each statement. Because all responses will remain anonymous you can respond truthfully with no concerns about anyone connecting responses with individuals.

Strongly Agree (1) Agree (2) Undecided (3) Disagree (4) Strongly Disagree (5)

1. My mother would have felt okay about my having sex with many different people.

2. I am uncomfortable around people who spend much of their time talking about their sexual experiences.

3. My father would have felt upset if he’d thought I was having sex with many different people.

4. Among my friends, men who have the most sexual experience are the most highly regarded.

5. My friends disapprove of being involved with someone who was known to be sexually easy.

6. According to my parents, having sexual intercourse is an important part of my becoming an adult.

7. Most of my friends don’t approve of having multiple sexual partners.

8. My friends and I enjoy telling each other about our sexual experiences.

9. My parents stress that sex and intimacy should always be linked.

10. Most of my friends believe that you should only have sex in a serious relationship.

11. Among my friends alcohol is used to get someone to sleep with you.

12. My parents would disapprove of my being sexually active.

13. My friends approve of being involved with someone just for sex.

14. My friends brag about their sexual exploits.‌

15. My friends suggest dates to each other who are known to be sexually easy.

16. My parents encourage me to have sex with many people before I get married.

17. Among my friends, people seldom discuss their sexuality.

18. Among my friends, women who have the most sexual experience are the most highly regarded.

19. My father would have felt okay about my having casual sexual encounters.

20. My mother would only have approved of me having sex in a serious relationship.