First Sexual Intercourse Affective Reaction Scale

Abstract

The First Coital Affective Reaction Scale (FCARS) is a specialized psychological scale designed to measure the reported affective variables experienced by individuals (male or female) in immediate reaction to their first episode of sexual intercourse (defined as penile-vaginal penetration). Developed by Israel M. Schwartz, the scale addresses a gap in premarital coital research, which traditionally focused on incidence and prevalence rather than emotional consequences.

The FCARS comprises 13 bipolar items utilizing a 7-point Likert format. Respondents rate the degree to which they experienced feelings such as confusion, satisfaction, anxiety, guilt, pleasure, and fear at the time of their first coitus. While the primary version is for coitally experienced individuals, an alternate version exists to measure anticipated reactions for those who have not yet engaged in intercourse.

Keywords

First Coitus, Affective Reaction, Premarital Sex, Sexual Behavior, Psychological Measurement, Affective Variables, Sexuality Research, Likert Scale

Authors

Israel M. Schwartz

Purpose

The primary purpose of the First Coital Affective Reaction Scale (FCARS) is to systematically quantify and assess the emotional and affective dimensions associated with the first experience of sexual intercourse. Traditionally, research on premarital coital activity often neglected the subjective emotional responses in favor of focusing on demographic metrics such as incidence and changing trends.

The scale was developed to facilitate a deeper understanding of the relationship between feelings—serving both as predictors and consequences—and subsequent sexual behaviors, attitudes, and norms. Its development was stimulated by earlier work assessing affect in sexual contexts (e.g., Byrne et al., 1974; Weis, 1983) and was initially created for use in a cross-cultural research project comparing the first coital experiences of American and Swedish women.

Construct

The FCARS measures the construct of immediate post-coital affect, specifically targeting the subjective, self-reported emotional reactions experienced by the participant at the time of their first sexual intercourse. This construct encompasses both positive and negative emotional states.

The 13 affective dimensions measured are: confused, satisfied, anxious, guilty, romantic, pleasure, sorry, relieved, exploited, happy, embarrassed, excited, and fearful. By quantifying these bipolar reactions, the scale provides a comprehensive profile of the emotional valence (positive vs. negative) associated with this significant developmental milestone.

Validity

The validity of the FCARS was established through both expert review and empirical findings from cross-cultural comparisons.

Face Validity: The scale achieved face validity through review by a panel of three sexuality experts. Furthermore, a pilot test involved individual interviews with ten participants, who provided feedback regarding the instrument’s format, readability, clarity, and potential for bias. Recommendations derived from this process were incorporated into the final version of the scale.

Construct Validity: Construct validity was supported by Schwartz’s 1993 study, which analyzed differences between American and Swedish undergraduate samples. The findings demonstrated expected cross-cultural differences—specifically, greater negative affect reported among the American group—which were consistent with Christensen’s (1969) theoretical assertions regarding differing sex norms. These results aligned with earlier comparative findings between Danish and American cultures (Christensen & Carpenter, 1962a, 1962b; Christensen & Gregg, 1970).

Reliability

The internal consistency of the First Coital Affective Reaction Scale was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients across multiple samples, demonstrating strong reliability.

• U.S. Sample: In a sample of 217 female undergraduate students in the United States, the scale yielded an alpha coefficient of 0.89 (Schwartz, 1993).

• Swedish Sample: Administered to 186 female undergraduate students in Sweden (using the Swedish translation), the alpha coefficient was 0.85.

• Pilot Test: An unpublished pilot test involving 37 female undergraduate students from the New York metropolitan area yielded a high alpha coefficient of 0.87 for the FCARS.

Factor Analysis

The foundational documentation of the FCARS does not explicitly detail a factor structure or specific subscales derived through factor analysis. The scale is typically utilized to assess either a total affective score or to examine the individual scores of the 13 affective items separately (e.g., guilt, exploitation, pleasure, confusion, etc.).

The 13 items contribute to an overall measure of positive versus negative affective reaction, serving as a unidimensional or multi-item index of first coital affect rather than a multi-factor instrument.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire, Psychological rating scale

Format: 13 bipolar items using a 7-point Likert response format.

Language Available: English, Swedish, Arabic, Turkish (modified version).

Population Group: General population, primarily validated on young adults/university students.

Age Group: Late adolescence and young adulthood (university level).

Population Details: Initial validation utilized female undergraduates in the United States (N=217) and Sweden (N=186). Subsequent research has applied the scale to Turkish university students.

Test Methodology: Anonymous self-report questionnaire, administered as part of a larger survey focusing on coital initiation. Completion time is approximately 2 minutes.

Scoring and Interpretation

The FCARS utilizes a 7-point Likert scoring range (1 to 7). A score of 1 represents “Not Experiencing the Feeling at all,” and 7 represents “Strongly Experiencing the Feeling.”

To ensure consistency in interpretation, items associated with positive feelings are reverse-scored: specifically, items 2 (satisfied), 5 (romantic), 6 (pleasure), 8 (relieved), 10 (happy), and 12 (excited). After reversal, a score of 1 consistently represents a positive response across all items, and 7 represents a negative response.

This standardized scoring means that a lower total score on the FCARS indicates greater overall positive affect, while a higher total score indicates greater overall negative affect experienced during the first coital event. Researchers may also analyze the 13 individual item scores separately to assess the specific degree of individual affective reactions (e.g., anxiety or relief).

Keywords

Sexual Affect, First Sexual Experience, Cross-Cultural Sexuality, Israel M. Schwartz, Psychological Measurement, Internal Consistency, Likert Scale

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Israel M. Schwartz, Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Hofstra University, 1000 Fulton Avenue, Hempstead, New York 11550-1090.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The First Coital Affective Reaction Scale (FCARS) is copyrighted by the author, Israel M. Schwartz.

Researchers are permitted to use the scale for research purposes without formal permission, provided that appropriate citation is given to the original source (Schwartz, 1993). No specific fee information is provided, implying free use for academic research. The scale was developed and initially published in 1993.

Reference’s

• Askun, D., & Ataca, B. (2007). Sexuality related attitudes and behaviors of Turkish university students. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36, 741–752.

• Byrne, D., Fisher, J. D., Lamberth, J., & Mitchell, H. E. (1974). Evaluations of erotica: Facts or feelings? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 29, 111–119.

• Christensen, H. T. (1969). Normative theory derived from cross-cultural family research. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 31, 209–222.

• Christensen, H. T., & Carpenter, G. R. (1962a). Timing patterns in the development of sexual intimacy: An attitudinal report on three modern western societies. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 24, 30–35.

• Christensen, H. T., & Carpenter, G. R. (1962b). Value-behavior discrepancies regarding premarital coitus in three western cultures. American Sociological Review, 27, 66–74.

• Christensen, H. T., & Gregg, C. F. (1970). Changing sex norms in America and Scandinavia. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 32, 616–627.

• Schwartz, I. M. (1993). Affective reactions of American and Swedish women to their first premarital coitus: A cross-cultural comparison. The Journal of Sex Research, 30, 18–26.

• Weis, D. L. (1983). Affective reactions of women to their initial experience of coitus. The Journal of Sex Research, 19, 209–237.

Items of the First Coital Affective Reaction Scale

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

1. Have you ever had sexual intercourse (defined as penile-vaginal penetration)?

   a.   Yes b.   No

   (If your answer to this question is “Yes” then complete Question 2. If your answer to this question is “No” skip Question 2 and complete Question 3.)

2. Directions: The following items deal with your feelings about your first sexual intercourse. Please try to answer as accurately and honestly as possible. Please answer all items “a” through “m” by using a 7-point scale, in which “1” represents not experiencing the feeling at all, and “7” represents strongly experiencing the feeling, with the numbers in between representing various gradations between these extremes. Please circle the number in each item that most closely represents the way you felt.

   What were your reactions to your first sexual intercourse at the time that it occurred? I felt:

   a. Not at all Confused	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Very Confused
   b. Not at all Satisfied	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Very Satisfied
   c. Not at all Anxious	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Very Anxious
   d. Not at all Guilty	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Very Guilty
   e. Not at all Romantic	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Very Romantic
   f. No Pleasure at all	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Much Pleasure
   g. Not at all Sorry	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Very Sorry
   h. Not at all Relieved	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Very Relieved

   i. Not at all Exploited	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Very Exploited
   j. Not at all Happy	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Very Happy
   k. Not at all Embarrassed	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Very Embarrassed
   l. Not at all Excited	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Very Excited
   m. Not at all Fearful	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Very Fearful

3. Directions: The following items deal with your anticipated reactions to your first sexual intercourse. Please answer all items “a” through “m” by using a 7-point scale, in which “1” represents not anticipating the feeling at all, and “7” represents strongly anticipating the feeling, with the numbers in between representing various gradations between these extremes. Please circle the number in each item that most closely represents the way you anticipate feeling.

How do you think you will react to your first sexual intercourse at the time that it occurs? I anticipate feeling: (The 13 responses for Question 2 are repeated.)