Sexual Compulsivity Scale

Abstract

The Sexual Compulsivity Scale (SCS) is a brief psychometric instrument developed to assist in the assessment of persistent, intrusive, and uncontrolled sexual thoughts and behaviors. This construct, known as sexual compulsivity, is conceptually and clinically similar to sexual addiction. Individuals scoring highly on the SCS often experience significant social problems stemming from their sexual preoccupation and conduct, including disturbances in interpersonal relationships, occupation, and other essential facets of daily living.

While severe sexual compulsivity can occasionally be associated with criminal behavior or specific paraphilias, the SCS is specifically focused on quantifying preoccupation and compulsive tendencies, and is not intended for the detection or diagnosis of paraphilias. The scale content concentrates on internal sexual preoccupations rather than serving as an indicator of overt sexual behaviors. Much of the available research utilizes the SCS to correlate sexual compulsion with increased risks for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS.

Keywords

Sexual compulsivity, sexual addiction, hypersexuality, psychometric assessment, high-risk sexual behavior, HIV/AIDS risk, sexual preoccupation, impulse control.

Authors

Seth C. Kalichman.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Sexual Compulsivity Scale (SCS) is to provide a rapid, self-administered, or interview-administered measure to quantify insistent, intrusive, and uncontrolled sexual thoughts and behaviors. Its development was rooted in self-descriptive statements used by individuals seeking help for sexual addiction, aiming to capture the subjective experience of compulsion.

The scale serves as a practical instrument for both clinical screening and research, particularly in identifying individuals whose sexual drives have become disruptive, leading to conflicts in relationships, work, and personal commitments. By measuring the degree of preoccupation, the SCS helps researchers predict engagement in high-risk sexual practices.

Construct

The SCS measures the psychological construct of sexual compulsivity, which reflects a pattern of persistent, uncontrollable sexual urges and thoughts that result in negative life consequences. This construct aligns closely with definitions of sexual addiction, emphasizing the loss of control and the resultant social disruption.

The 10 items of the scale are written in the first person and focus on the interference of sexual desire with life functioning, such as disrupting daily routines or failing to meet responsibilities. Although useful in assessing populations with hypersexual behavior, the SCS is designed to capture the compulsive dimension across general and clinical adult samples, and it does not differentiate between various specific paraphilias.

Validity

Studies have provided robust evidence for the construct validity of the Sexual Compulsivity Scale. Research conducted by Kalichman and colleagues established significant correlations between higher SCS scores and several key indicators:

• Increased numbers of sexual partners (r = .21).
• Lower intentions to reduce sexual risks (r = −.35).
• Lower self-esteem (r = −.35).
• Lower perceived sexual control (r = −.61).

The scale demonstrates predictive validity in clinical settings; for instance, patients attending STI clinics who score higher on the SCS report greater numbers of sexual partners, higher rates of one-time partners, and increased overall sexual acts. The scale also predicts specific behaviors, such as greater time spent online pursuing sexual partners or content. Furthermore, the SCS possesses strong discriminant validity, as evidenced by patients seeking help for hypersexuality scoring more than a standard deviation higher than nonclinical samples. This validity is reinforced by findings that gay and bisexual men who engage in high-risk sexual behavior, despite understanding the risks of HIV/AIDS, also score higher on the scale.

Reliability

The Sexual Compulsivity Scale has consistently demonstrated excellent internal consistency across numerous diverse populations. Cronbach’s alpha (α) values typically range from acceptable to high, confirming that the items reliably measure a unified construct. Examples of reported internal consistency include:

• HIV-positive men and women community samples: α = .89
• Gay and bisexual men: α range of .86–.90
• Young adults in Croatia: α = .87
• Female college students: α = .81
• Male college students: α = .77
• Patients seeking help for hypersexuality: α = .79

Item-total correlations are strong, ranging from .49 to .73, indicating that all items contribute substantially to the total score without redundancy. Additionally, the scale shows acceptable time stability, with high test-retest reliability observed over a 2-week interval (r = .95) and moderate stability over a 3-month period (r = .64).

Factor Analysis

Although the Sexual Compulsivity Scale is scored as a single, global measure of compulsion, factor analysis has identified two primary underlying components:

1. Uncontrolled thoughts and behaviors (capturing the internal experience of overwhelming sexual drive).
2. Social and interpersonal problems and disruptions (capturing the negative external consequences of the compulsion).

The scale lacks formally developed subscales, and standard practice is to sum the scores of the 10 items or calculate the mean response (Sum of Items divided by 10). Crucially, the SCS utilizes only positively worded items, meaning there are no reverse-scored items.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychometric instrument.

Format: 10 items utilizing a 4-point Likert-type scale.

Language Available: English (validated in other languages, such as Croatian).

Population Group: Developed for use with both men and women across community and clinical settings.

Age Group: Adults of all ages.

Population Details: The scale was derived from self-identifying affirmations used by sexual addiction support groups and refined through pilot testing in community samples. The response options are: 1 = Not at all Like Me, 2 = Slightly Like Me, 3 = Mainly Like Me, 4 = Very Much Like Me.

Test Methodology: Requires less than 5 minutes for self-administration. The total score is calculated by summing the 10 item responses. Higher scores indicate greater levels of sexual compulsivity.

Keywords

Sexual addiction, hypersexuality, psychological assessment, paraphilia screening (non-indicator), scale development, construct measurement, psychopathology.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Seth C. Kalichman, Department of Psychology, 406 Babbidge Road, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Sexual Compulsivity Scale is designated as being in the public domain and is available for open use without requiring permission or incurring a fee. The scale was initially developed and pilot-tested in 1994 (Kalichman et al., 1994). The academic preparation of the source material was financially supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) under grant R01-MH71164.

Reference’s

• CompCare. (1987). Hope and recovery: A twelve-step guide for healing from compulsive sexual behavior [Brochure]. Minneapolis, MN.
• Cooper, A., Sherer, C., Boies, S., & Gordon, B. (1999). Sexuality on the Internet: From sexual exploration to pathological expression. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 30, 154–164.
• Dodge, B., Reece, M., Cole, S. L., & Sandfort, T. G. (2004). Sexual compulsivity among heterosexual college students. The Journal of Sex Research, 41, 343–350.
• Dodge, B., Reece, M., Herbenick, D., Fisher, C., Satinsky, S., & Stupiansky, N. (2008). Relations between sexually transmitted infection diagnosis and sexual compulsivity in a community-based sample of men who have sex with men. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 84, 324–327.
• Halkitis, P. N., Wilton, L., Wolitski, R. J., Parsons, J. T., Hoff, C. C., & Bimbi, D. S. (2005). Barebacking identity among HIV-positive gay and bisexual men: Demographic, psychological, and behavioral correlates. AIDS, 19(Suppl. 1), S27–35.
• Kalichman, S. C., Adair, V., Rompa, D., Multhauf, K., Johnson, J., & Kelly, J. (1994). Sexual sensation-seeking: Scale development and predicting AIDS-risk behavior among homosexually active men. Journal of Personality Assessment, 62, 385–397.
• Kalichman, S. C., & Cain, D. (2004). The relationship between indicators of sexual compulsivity and high risk sexual practices among men and women receiving services from a sexually transmitted infection clinic. The Journal of Sex Research, 41, 235–241.
• Kalichman, S. C., & Rompa, D. (1995). Sexual sensation seeking and sexual compulsivity scales: Reliability, validity, and predicting HIV risk behaviors. Journal of Personality Assessment, 65, 586–602.
• Kalichman, S. C., & Rompa, D. (2001). The Sexual Compulsivity Scale: Further development and use with HIV positive persons. Journal of Personality Assessment, 76, 379–395.
• Parsons, J. T., & Bimbi, D. S. (2007). Intentional unprotected anal intercourse among men who have sex with men: Barebacking—from behavior to identity. AIDS and Behavior, 11, 277–287.
• Reid, R. C., Carpenter, B. N., Spackman, M., & Willes, D. L. (2008). Alexithymia, emotional instability, and vulnerability to stress proneness in patients seeking help for hypersexual behavior. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 34, 133–149.
• Stulhofer, A., Buško, V., & Landripet, I. (2010). Pornography, sexual socialization, and satisfaction among young men. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39, 168–178.

Items of the Sexual Compulsivity Scale

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

A number of statements that some people have used to describe themselves are given below. Read each statement and then circle the number to show how well you believe the statement describes you.