Sex Anxiety Inventory (Revised)

Abstract

The Sex Anxiety Inventory (Revised), abbreviated as the SAI (Revised), is a specialized 27-item self-report measure designed to rigorously quantify the magnitude of sexual anxiety experienced by individuals across diverse relational and social settings. Originally conceptualized and developed by Janda and O’Grady in 1980, the revised iteration retains a crucial multidimensional framework. This structure allows the assessment of anxiety not only linked to private sexual thoughts and behaviors but also distress arising from specific social and relational contexts, such as involvement in extramarital sex or engaging in public discourse about sexuality. The scale employs a forced-choice format, designed to elicit immediate affective and cognitive responses to sexual stimuli, establishing the SAI as a vital tool for research in clinical and social psychology regarding sexual adjustment and discomfort.

Keywords

Sex Anxiety Inventory, SAI, sexual anxiety, sexual attitudes, psychometrics, sex research, self-report scale, sexual discomfort, forced-choice assessment, Janda O’Grady, sexual measurement, dating anxiety.

Authors

L. H. Janda, E. E. O’Grady.

Purpose

The core purpose of the Sex Anxiety Inventory (Revised) is to provide a standardized and reliable instrument for quantifying the degree of psychological tension, nervousness, and avoidance associated with sexual matters. By measuring these affective responses, the SAI successfully differentiates between individuals who maintain generally positive and comfortable attitudes toward sexuality and those who experience significant emotional distress, worry, or fear when encountering sexual situations or contemplating sexual behavior.

In clinical applications, the scale is instrumental in diagnostic assessment, helping practitioners pinpoint the specific domains of sexual functioning (e.g., private vs. social) that serve as high-anxiety triggers. This detailed identification is essential for tailoring effective therapeutic interventions. Academically, the SAI facilitates robust research into the correlates of sexual anxiety, examining its relationship with factors such as sexual guilt, cultural background, religious norms, and overall psychological well-being.

Construct

The SAI (Revised) is designed to measure the psychological construct of Sexual Anxiety. This construct is formally defined as the apprehension, fear, or distress experienced either in anticipation of, during, or following engagement in sexual activity, or upon exposure to sexual stimuli. The SAI operationalizes this complex construct across three distinct, empirically derived dimensions.

By focusing on cognitive and emotional responses—such as feeling “jittery,” “scared,” or “worried about being discovered”—rather than mere behavioral reports or knowledge, the scale captures the affective core of sexual discomfort. This emphasis on the internal, subjective experience makes the SAI a powerful tool for predicting subsequent sexual avoidance behaviors and potential sexual dysfunction.

Validity

The Sex Anxiety Inventory (Revised) exhibits strong evidence of construct validity, particularly through its established correlations with other psychological measures, such as general anxiety scales and established instruments of sexual guilt. The clear theoretical distinction and empirical delineation of items across the three identified factors strongly support the scale’s underlying hypothesis that sexual anxiety is fundamentally context-dependent.

Furthermore, the scale’s psychometric properties, including the factor structure, are frequently confirmed in research studies using advanced statistical methods like confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The SAI also demonstrates good criterion validity by effectively discriminating between populations expected to exhibit differing levels of sexual comfort, such as non-clinical groups versus individuals diagnosed with clinical sexual dysfunctions, or groups with varying levels of comprehensive sex education exposure.

Reliability

The reliability of the Sex Anxiety Inventory (Revised) is consistently reported as high, demonstrating strong internal consistency across its full 27-item structure and within its distinct factor subscales. Original development work by Janda and O’Grady documented high Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients, confirming that the items reliably cohere and measure the intended underlying construct of sexual anxiety.

The stability and generalizability of the revised instrument are further reinforced by its successful application in diverse cultural and demographic settings, including cross-cultural research (such as the 2014 study involving Canadian and American Muslim samples). This robust internal consistency confirms the SAI (Revised) as a dependable and stable assessment tool for comparative research applications.

Factor Analysis

The empirical structure of the Sex Anxiety Inventory (Revised) is comprehensively supported by factor analysis. This analysis revealed a clear, three-dimensional model, moving beyond a single global score to offer nuanced insight into the specific contexts and triggers of an individual’s sexual discomfort. The three primary and largely independent factors are:

• Factor 1: Private Sexual Behaviors, Cognitions, and Emotions. This dimension focuses on internalized anxiety and personal distress related to solitary sexual activities, thoughts, and the initial stages of sexual relations. Items associated with this factor include those concerning masturbation, sexual dreams, sexual thoughts, and initiating sexual contact (Items 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 16, 17, and 23).
• Factor 2: Extramarital or Casual Sex. This factor assesses anxiety, worry, and moral concerns specifically attached to non-committed or non-monogamous sexual encounters. This includes concerns related to extramarital sex, adultery, and casual relationships (Items 1, 13, 18, 20, 21, 22, and 27).
• Factor 3: Sexual Behaviors in Social Situations. This dimension measures discomfort associated with public or social interactions involving sexuality. This includes anxiety related to flirting, discussing sexual topics openly, viewing pornography, or considering group sexual activity (Items 9, 11, 12, 14, 15, 19, 24, and 25).

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Inventory (Psychological Assessment Scale)

Format: 27 items presented in a forced-choice, dichotomous format (Option A or Option B).

Language Available: English

Population Group: General adult population; widely utilized in non-clinical and student samples, as well as specific cultural groups for comparative studies.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically 18 years and older).

Population Details: The scale was initially validated using North American college student populations. Subsequent research has expanded its use to diverse samples, facilitating cross-cultural comparisons regarding the influence of religious and background factors on sexual attitudes and anxiety levels.

Test Methodology: Respondents are instructed to select the response option (A or B) that most accurately describes their immediate feelings or attitudes concerning the sexual scenario presented. Scoring is structured such that higher point values are typically assigned to the response indicating greater anxiety or discomfort, yielding both a total score and three distinct factor scores.

Keywords

Janda O’Grady, sexual measurement, psychological assessment, sexual health, sexual behavior, non-monogamy, dating anxiety, sexual communication, psychometrics, clinical psychology.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not Available

Affiliation Email addresses: Not Available

Correspondence Address: Not Available (Refer to the original 1980 publication in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology for author affiliation details.)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year (Original Development): 1980

The Sex Anxiety Inventory (Revised) is generally accessible for non-commercial academic research purposes. Researchers intending commercial or large-scale usage are advised to contact the original authors, L. H. Janda and E. E. O’Grady, or the publisher of the primary journal article (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology) to secure formal permissions.

The original PDF containing the instrument and its use in a 2014 thesis context can be downloaded here: http://scholar.uwindsor.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6050&context=etd

Reference’s

• Ali-Faisal, Sobia F., (2014). “Crossing sexual barriers: The influence of background factors and personal attitudes on sexual guilt and sexual anxiety among Canadian and American Muslim women and men”. Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 5051.
• Janda, L. H., & O’Grady, E. E. (1980). Development of a sex anxiety inventory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 169-175.
• Janda, L. H., & Bazemore, S. D. (2011). The revised Mosher Sex-Guilt Scale: Its psychometric properties and a proposed ten-item version. Journal of Sex Research, 48(4), 392-396.

Items of the Sex Anxiety Inventory (Revised)

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