Reasons for Consenting to Unwanted Sex Scale

Abstract

The Reasons for Consenting to Unwanted Sex Scale (RCUSS) is an 18-item, self-report questionnaire developed by Terry P. Humphreys and Deborah J. Kennett (2008; 2009). Its primary function is to quantify the degree to which women endorse various psychological and relational reasons for voluntarily engaging in sexual activity they did not desire.

The scale was developed based on prior research indicating that sexual compliance, or giving in to unwanted sex, is a common phenomenon among women, often driven by motives such as relationship maintenance, avoiding conflict, or fulfilling perceived partner needs. The RCUSS is unidimensional, possesses strong internal consistency, and was normed primarily on heterosexual undergraduate females. It serves as a crucial instrument for investigating the complex dynamics surrounding unwanted sex and relationship obligations.

Keywords

RCUSS, Unwanted Sexual Activity, Sexual Consent, Relationship Maintenance, Sexual Compliance, Sexual Desire, Self-Report, Psychological Assessment.

Authors

Terry P. Humphreys, Deborah J. Kennett.

Purpose

The core purpose of the Reasons for Consenting to Unwanted Sex Scale (RCUSS) is to provide a standardized tool for assessing the variety and strength of motivations that lead women to voluntarily consent to sexual activity they do not want. This goes beyond simply measuring the incidence of unwanted sex by exploring the underlying psychological and interpersonal rationales for compliance.

The scale items were derived from extensive literature suggesting that women consent to undesired sexual activity for reasons including satisfying a partner’s needs, promoting intimacy, mitigating tension, preventing a partner from losing relationship interest, and fulfilling perceived relational obligations. The RCUSS allows researchers to quantitatively examine the influence of these factors on decisions regarding unwanted sex within dating contexts.

Construct

The RCUSS measures the construct of motivations for sexual compliance, defined as the non-desire-driven reasons for voluntarily engaging in sexual acts. This construct is recognized as a key component of relationship dynamics, particularly among young adults, where the negotiation of sexual boundaries is influenced by perceived power imbalances and relationship security.

The 18 items of the scale reflect a single underlying dimension of this compliance motivation. The construct covers relationship-focused justifications (e.g., fear of loss, avoidance of tension), emotional justifications (e.g., guilt, desire for acceptance), and direct pressure (e.g., verbal persuasion). High scores on the RCUSS indicate a greater tendency to endorse relationship- or pressure-based reasons for consenting to unwanted sex.

Validity

The construct validity of the RCUSS was rigorously examined through correlations with established measures of sexual behavior and aggression, as well as several relationship variables.

• Relationship Experience: The RCUSS showed significant positive correlations with both the number of dating partners, r(152) = .23, p = .004, and the number of steady partners, r(152) = .19, p = .017. This suggests that greater relationship experience increases the likelihood of encountering and endorsing reasons for negotiating discrepancies in sexual desire through compliance.

• Unwanted Advances: The scale correlated positively with the extent of women’s reported experience with unwanted sexual advances from men, r(152) = .25, p = .002, and the percentage of relationships in which these advances occurred, r(152) = .26, p = .001.

• Sexual Aggression (SES): Strong positive correlations were found between the RCUSS and the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES; Koss & Oros, 1982) items related to forced sex play (Items 1–3), r(152) = .541, p < .001, and attempted or completed forced intercourse (Items 4–10), r(152) = .502, p < .001. This outcome suggests that greater experience with nonconsensual sexual behavior is associated with a higher endorsement of justifications for sexual compliance.

• Sexual Self-Efficacy: The RCUSS demonstrated a significant negative correlation with the Sexual Self-Efficacy scale, r(152) = −.49, p < .001. This finding supports the scale’s theoretical grounding, indicating that women who believe they have the ability to deal with or prevent unwanted sexual advances are less likely to rely on compliance motivations.

Reliability

The RCUSS exhibits high levels of internal consistency across multiple samples, demonstrating its strong reliability as a measurement instrument.

• Internal Consistency (Sample 1): Based on the Kennett et al. (2009) dataset (N=150), the reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) for the entire RCUSS scale was 0.96. The average inter-item correlation was 0.75 (ranging from 0.46 to 0.85).

• Internal Consistency (Sample 2): In the Humphreys and Kennett (2008) dataset (N=152), the scale reliability was also 0.96, with an average inter-item correlation of 0.55 (ranging from 0.18 to 0.85).

• Test-Retest Reliability: The temporal stability of the scale was measured over a 6-week interval in a female student sample (N=63). The resulting test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.85 (Humphreys & Kennett, 2008), indicating that the motivations measured are stable over short periods.

Factor Analysis

The psychometric structure of the RCUSS was investigated using factor analysis with varimax rotation.

The analysis confirmed that the RCUSS is a unidimensional scale, meaning all 18 items measure a single underlying factor related to reasons for sexual compliance. All 18 items met the retention criteria, exhibiting factor loadings above 0.30. The single factor structure accounted for 59.2% of the total variance, providing strong empirical support for the scale’s unified theoretical construct.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychological Scale / Self-Report Questionnaire

Format: 18-item, 9-point Likert-type scale. Responses range from 0 (Not at all Characteristic of Me) to 8 (Very Characteristic of Me).

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: Women

Age Group: Primarily young adults (undergraduate students)

Population Details: Normed on heterosexual undergraduate females. Total scores are summed, ranging from 0 to 144. Sample mean scores were M = 41.2 (SD = 33.5) and M = 35.9 (SD = 32.5).

Test Methodology: The scale can be administered using two alternative modes: a traditional pencil-and-paper format where respondents circle a number, or an online survey format where respondents click on a bullet response. The scale contains no reverse-scored items and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Keywords

Sexual Compliance, Relationship Obligations, Dating Dynamics, Psychological Measurement, Sexual Self-Efficacy, Trent University.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected], [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Terry P. Humphreys or Deborah J. Kennett, Psychology Department, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Drive, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, K9J 7B8

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permission to use the Reasons for Consenting to Unwanted Sex Scale (RCUSS) must be obtained directly from either Terry P. Humphreys or Deborah J. Kennett.

Test Year: 2008 (Initial validation study) and 2009 (Replication and further validation).

Reference’s

Humphreys, T. P., & Kennett, D. J. (2008) [The reliability and validity of the Sexual Resourcefulness and Reasons for Consenting to Unwanted Sex Scales]. Unpublished raw data.

Impett, E. A. & Peplau, L. A. (2002). Why some women consent to unwanted sex with a dating partner: Insights from attachment theory. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 26, 360–370.

Kennett, D. J., Humphreys, T. P., & Patchell, M. (2009). The role of learned resourcefulness in helping female undergraduates deal with unwanted sexual activity. Sex Education, 9, 341–353.

Koss, M. P., & Oros, C. J. (1982). Sexual experiences survey: A research instrument investigating sexual aggression and victimization. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 50, 455–457.

Meston, C. M., & Buss, D. M. (2007). Why humans have sex. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36, 477–507.

O’Sullivan, L. F., & Allgeier, E. R. (1998). Feigning sexual desire: Consenting to unwanted sexual activity in heterosexual dating relationships. The Journal of Sex Research, 35, 234–243.

Shotland, R. L., & Hunter, B. A. (1995). Women’s “token resistant” and compliant sexual behaviors are related to uncertain sexual intentions and rape. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 21, 226–236.

Zimmerman, R. S., Sprecher, S., Langer, L. M., & Holloway, C. D. (1995). Adolescents’ perceived ability to say “no” to unwanted sex. Journal of Adolescent Research, 10, 383–399.

Items of the Reasons for Consenting to Unwanted Sex Scale

Instructions: When answering these questions, please think of all the times in which you have consented to unwanted sexual activity. Rate each statement as to how characteristic it is of you as your reason for consenting to unwanted sexual activity using the scale provided.

1. I felt that I would be jeopardizing our relationship if I did not engage in the unwanted sexual activity

2. As his girlfriend, I am obligated to engage in the unwanted sexual activity

3. He verbally pressured me to participate in the unwanted sexual behavior

4. He begged me to engage in the unwanted sexual activity until I could not argue anymore

5. I had been drinking or had consumed other types of drugs

6. I felt guilty for not participating in the unwanted sexual activity

7. I feared that I would lose my boyfriend if I did not consent to the unwanted sexual activity

8. I wanted to avoid tension in our relationship

9. I wanted to prevent my partner from losing interest in our relationship

10. I consented to the unwanted sexual activity to promote intimacy

11. I felt it was necessary to satisfy my partner’s needs

12. I felt that I needed to because I consented to the sexual activity before

13. I didn’t want to hurt my partner’s feelings

14. He physically would not let me leave

15. I didn’t want him to feel rejected

16. I felt that, if I consented to the unwanted sexual activity, he would like/love me

17. I wanted to feel accepted by my partner

18. He sweet talked me into it