Attitudes toward Transactional Sex Scale (ATTS)

Abstract

The Attitudes toward Transactional Sex Scale (ATTS), developed by St. Lawrence et al. (2023), is a 24-item questionnaire designed to measure adolescents’ attitudes regarding engagement in transactional sex. Specifically, it focuses on sexual encounters initiated by older adults—often referred to as “sugar daddies” or “sugar mommies”—who offer desirable material goods (e.g., cell phones, cash, clothing, transportation) in exchange for sexual acts.

This measure was created to fill a critical gap in existing tools assessing attitudes toward this specific form of intergenerational sexual exchange among youths. Its development began with 57 items derived from qualitative interviews with Batswana adolescents in Botswana. After refinement by expert panels, the final 24-item scale was administered to two distinct samples in Botswana. Both Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported a robust four-factor structure, confirming the scale’s effectiveness in assessing Batswana adolescents’ attitudes toward transactional sex. The original study also provided comprehensive data on the scale’s reliability and validity.

Keywords

Adolescent Attitudes, Adult Initiated Sexual Encounter, Family Influence, Intergenerational Transactional Sexual Encounters, Perceived Benefits, Personal Morals, Refusal Ability, Transactional Sex, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Mommy, Psychometric Properties.

Authors

St. Lawrence, Janet S., Sun, Christina J., Seloilwe, Esther S., Magowe, Mabel K. M., Rampa, Shathani, Dithole, Kefalotse S.

Purpose

The primary objective of the ATTS is to systematically evaluate the degree of acceptance among adolescents regarding sexual initiations from older adults. These initiations are characterized by an explicit or implicit proposition of exchanging desirable goods, resources, or services for sexual activity.

The scale provides researchers and public health professionals with a standardized tool to measure the complex psychosocial factors underlying vulnerability to adult-initiated transactional sex, particularly within high-risk populations in sub-Saharan Africa. The results are crucial for designing targeted prevention and intervention strategies.

Construct

The ATTS measures the multidimensional construct of attitudes toward transactional sex, specifically within the context of intergenerational relationships (often referred to as “sugar daddy/mommy” dynamics). The scale’s 24 items load onto four distinct factors, reflecting different facets of this complex attitude.

Based on the factor structure and item content, the scale quantifies the degree to which an adolescent rationalizes, accepts, or rejects the idea of exchanging sex for material gain. The underlying factors suggested by the item categories and keywords include Perceived Benefits, Personal Morals, Family Influence/Need, and Refusal Ability (or self-efficacy in declining offers).

Validity

The ATTS demonstrated strong evidence of both convergent and discriminant validity during its initial validation.

Convergent Validity: The total ATTS score and the ATTS subscale reflecting positive attitudes toward transactional sex showed a statistically significant positive correlation (r = .28, p < .001) with the Condom Barriers Scale (St Lawrence et al., 1999). This finding suggests that positive attitudes toward transactional sex are associated with higher perceived barriers to engaging in safe sex practices.

Discriminant Validity: The total ATTS score exhibited significant negative correlations with several protective health measures, including the AIDS Knowledge Test (Kelly et al., 1989) (r = -.25, p < .001), the Condom Attitudes Scale (St Lawrence et al., 1994) (r = -.32, p < .001), Self-Efficacy Beliefs (Murphy et al., 2001) (r = -.25, p < .001), and Gender Power Beliefs (r = -.27, p < .001). This pattern confirms that adolescents who express more positive attitudes toward transactional sex tend to possess less knowledge about HIV/AIDS, hold more negative attitudes toward condom use, and report lower self-efficacy and gender equity beliefs compared to their peers who hold more negative attitudes.

Reliability

The reliability of the ATTS was thoroughly assessed using measures of internal consistency and stability over time.

Internal Consistency: The scale demonstrated high internal consistency, indicated by Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of .91 for the first validation sample and .83 for the second sample. These values suggest that the items within the scale measure a consistent underlying construct with excellent reliability.

Test-Retest Reliability: The stability of the instrument was confirmed by a statistically significant test-retest reliability coefficient of .71 (p < .001). This measure was calculated over an extended period ranging from 3 weeks to 9 months, demonstrating that the scale yields reasonably stable scores over time, suitable for longitudinal studies.

Factor Analysis

Both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis techniques were utilized during the development and validation process to establish the underlying structural validity of the ATTS.

Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA): The EFA identified a robust four-factor structure. The criteria for retaining an item required that it load above .40 onto a factor and that its removal did not diminish the reliability of the total scale score. All 24 final items met these criteria and were retained. Collectively, these four distinct factors accounted for 66.6% of the total variance observed in the scale.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA): The CFA provided further empirical support for the four-factor model established by the EFA. This analysis confirmed the structural validity of the ATTS for measuring attitudes toward transactional sex among the Batswana adolescent population.

Instrument

Test Type: Original

Format: The ATTS is a 24-item measure where responses are rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale. The scoring is reverse-coded relative to standard agreement scales, ranging from “strongly agree” (0) to “strongly disagree” (4).

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human; Male; Female

Age Group: Adolescence (13-17 yrs); Adulthood (18 yrs & older); Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs)

Population Details:

• Location: Botswana

• Respondents: Batswana Adolescents

Test Methodology: The methodology employed in the development and validation of the ATTS included Test Validity, Convergent Validity, Discriminant Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Test-Retest Reliability, Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Exploratory Factor Analysis.

Keywords

Adolescent Attitudes, Adult Initiated Sexual Encounter, Family Influence, Intergenerational Transactional Sexual Encounters, Perceived Benefits, Personal Morals, Refusal Ability, Transactional Sex, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Mommy, Psychometrics.

Authors (Detailed)

Author ORCID Identifier: Christina J. Sun: 0000-0001-5656-7055

Affiliation Email addresses: Christina J. Sun: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: University of Colorado, College of Nursing, Anschutz Medical Campus, 13120 East 19th Ave., Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045, [email protected]

Primary Affiliations:

• St. Lawrence, Janet S.: Portland State University

• Sun, Christina J.: University of Colorado

• Seloilwe, Esther S.: University of Botswana

• Magowe, Mabel K. M.: University of Botswana

• Rampa, Shathani: Queens College

• Dithole, Kefalotse S.: University of Botswana

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: May be used for Research/Teaching purposes.

Fee: No

Test Year: 2023

Reference’s

St. Lawrence, J. S., Sun, C. J., Seloilwe, E. S., Magowe, M. K. M., Rampa, S., & Dithole, K. S. (2023). Batswana adolescents’ attitudes toward sex with older adults: Psychometric properties of the Attitudes Toward Transactional Sex Scale. Assessment, 30(8), 2364–2372. doi.org/10.1177/10731911221146518

Items of the Attitudes toward Transactional Sex Scale (ATTS)

Response Options:

• 0 = Strongly Agree

• 1 = Agree

• 2 = Neither Agree nor Disagree

• 3 = Disagree

• 4 = Strongly Disagree

Scale Items:

1. The only way I can get a cell phone is to have sex with a sugar daddy or sugar mum. (R)

2. If I agree to have sex with a sugar daddy or sugar mum, I can get extra money. (R)

3. If I agree to have sex with a sugar daddy or sugar mum, I can get fashionable clothing. (R)

4. I am willing to trade sex for drugs. (R)

5. If I want to drink alcohol, I am willing to have sex with someone who buys me drinks. (R)

6. I can refuse to have sex even if someone offers me money to go with them.

7. I can refuse to have sex even if someone promises me a cell phone.

8. I can refuse to have sex with someone who promises to buy me smart clothing.

9. I can refuse to have sex even if someone promises me a laptop.

10. I would have sex with a teacher to get high marks. (R)

11. I have sex with my boyfriend/girlfriend so that he or she does not leave me for someone else. (R)

12. I would trade sex for a free ride in a combi. (R)

13. I would have sex to get money to help my family. (R)

14. I will never engage in sex to get money or commodities.

15. It is okay to have sex to get extra money. (R)

16. I think it is okay to have sex with a sugar daddy or sugar mum to get fashionable clothes. (R)

17. It is all right for someone to have sex to get a cell phone. (R)

18. My friends would envy me if I have a sugar daddy/sugar mommy who buys me expensive clothes. (R)