Sexuality Scale

Abstract

The Sexuality Scale (SS), developed by William E. Snell, Jr. and D. R. Papini in 1989, is a widely used, objective self-report instrument designed to quantify specific psychological dimensions of an individual’s sexual experience. The scale is structured around three core, empirically derived factors: sexual esteem, sexual depression, and sexual preoccupation. The full version of the SS comprises 30 items, which respondents rate using a 5-point Likert scale format ranging from “agree” (+2) to “disagree” (–2). Principal components factor analysis confirmed that these 30 items cluster cleanly into the three intended conceptual dimensions, demonstrating strong initial construct validity. The SS has also been adapted into a 15-item short-form for efficient use in research settings.

Keywords

Sexuality Scale, Sexual Esteem, Sexual Depression, Sexual Preoccupation, Self-Report, Psychological Measurement, Sexual Attitudes, Sex Research, Snell and Papini, Likert Scale

Authors

William E. Snell, Jr., D. R. Papini

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Sexuality Scale (SS) is to provide a standardized, quantifiable measure of three distinct, subjective experiences related to human sexuality. It serves as a diagnostic and research tool for assessing positive regard, distress, and cognitive investment in one’s sexual life.

The instrument was created to move beyond simple measures of sexual behavior, focusing instead on the underlying affective and cognitive components of sexual self-concept. Initial studies using the SS revealed key gender differences, particularly that men reported significantly higher levels of sexual preoccupation compared to women, while levels of sexual esteem and sexual depression were generally comparable across genders.

Construct

The Sexuality Scale measures three distinct psychological constructs, which together provide a comprehensive profile of an individual’s subjective experience of their sexuality:

• Sexual Esteem: Defined as the positive regard for, and confidence in, one’s capacity to experience sexuality in a satisfying and enjoyable manner. This construct reflects a healthy, positive sexual self-image and competence.
• Sexual Depression: Defined as the experience of negative affective states, such as sadness, unhappiness, and depression, specifically concerning one’s sex life or sexual relationships.
• Sexual Preoccupation: Defined as the tendency to engage in excessive cognitive activity related to sex, including persistent thoughts, fantasies, and constant planning or concern regarding sexual matters.

Research utilizing the SS has demonstrated predictable relationships between these constructs. For example, sexual esteem is generally found to be negatively correlated with sexual depression in both men and women. Interestingly, the relationship between esteem and preoccupation differs by gender: for women, higher sexual esteem was positively associated with sexual preoccupation, whereas for men, sexual depression was directly related to their sexual preoccupation (Snell & Papini, 1989).

Validity

Evidence supporting the validity of the Sexuality Scale stems from several studies demonstrating its correlation with related constructs and behaviors, as well as its ability to discriminate between groups.

Construct validity was supported by the predicted negative correlation between sexual esteem and sexual depression across both genders among university students. Further support for the differential relationship of sexual preoccupation was established: it correlated positively with sexual esteem for women, but positively with sexual depression for men.

Snell, Fisher, and Schuh (1992) provided additional evidence by showing that SS measures were related in expected ways to participants’ reported sexual behaviors and attitudes. Furthermore, these researchers documented the discriminant validity of the SS, confirming that the subscales measure distinct concepts separate from other personality traits. The SS has also been successfully employed in clinical contexts, such as in therapy treatment involving sexual desire issues (Hurlbert et al., 1993). Wiederman and Allgeier (1993) further validated the scale, noting that men consistently scored higher than women on both the sexual-esteem and sexual-preoccupation subscales.

Reliability

The reliability of the Sexuality Scale has been extensively evaluated, showing strong internal consistency and acceptable test-retest stability for all three subscales across various populations.

Internal consistency was established using the Cronbach alpha coefficient on a sample of 296 participants (Snell & Papini, 1989). The results indicated high reliability for all subscales:

• Sexual Esteem: Alpha coefficients were .92 for women, .93 for men, and .92 combined.
• Sexual Depression: Alpha coefficients were .88 for women, .94 for men, and .90 combined.
• Sexual Preoccupation: Alpha coefficients were .88 for women, .79 for men, and .88 combined.

Subsequent research (Snell et al., 1992) confirmed these high levels, reporting alpha ranges of up to .92 for sexual esteem, .85 to .93 for sexual depression, and .87 to .91 for sexual preoccupation. Test-retest reliability, measured over time, also demonstrated adequate stability: sexual esteem ranged from .69 to .74, sexual depression from .67 to .76, and sexual preoccupation from .70 to .76. The abbreviated 15-item short-form of the SS also maintained strong internal consistency, with Cronbach alphas ranging from .89 to .96 across the subscales for both genders (Wiederman & Allgeier, 1993).

Factor Analysis

The underlying conceptual structure of the Sexuality Scale was empirically confirmed through a principal components factor analysis of the 30 items (Snell & Papini, 1989). A three-factor solution was specified, consistent with the theoretical framework of sexual esteem, depression, and preoccupation, and was rotated using the varimax procedure to achieve orthogonal simple structure.

The analysis yielded three distinct factors corresponding directly to the three intended subscales:

1. The First Factor (Eigenvalue = 8.39) accounted for 56% of the common variance and was defined by the 10 items of the Sexual Esteem subscale. Item coefficients ranged from .52 to .82 (average .69).
2. The Second Factor (Eigenvalue = 4.75) accounted for 32% of the common variance and was characterized by the 10 items measuring Sexual Preoccupation. All items loaded substantially (greater than .41), with an average loading of .65.
3. The Third Factor (Eigenvalue = 1.88) accounted for 13% of the common variance and related to the sexual-depression items. Eight of the 10 items on this subscale loaded strongly (range .48 to .84, average .67), while two items loaded below .20 and were subsequently considered “filler items.”

Instrument

Test Type: Objective, Self-Report Psychological Inventory

Format: The SS consists of 30 statements (15-item short form available). Responses are captured using a 5-point Likert scale where respondents indicate their level of agreement or disagreement with the statement. The response options are: Agree (+2), Slightly Agree (+1), Neither Agree nor Disagree (0), Slightly Disagree (–1), and Disagree (–2).

Language Available: English (Original)

Population Group: General Adult Population, validated primarily using university students.

Age Group: Typically utilized with adults (initial sample averaged 23.5 to 23.7 years, range 19–53).

Population Details: The initial validation sample included 296 participants (209 females, 87 males) drawn from lower division psychology courses at a small midwestern university.

Test Methodology:

• Administration: Typically administered using machine-scoreable answer sheets.
• Timing: Requires approximately 15–20 minutes to complete the full 30-item scale.
• Scoring: Several items are reverse coded (R). Raw scores are converted to a scale where A = –2, B = –1, C = 0, D = +1, and E = +2. Scores are summed for each subscale. Higher positive scores indicate greater expression of the construct (e.g., greater sexual esteem, greater sexual depression, or greater sexual preoccupation).
• Score Ranges (Full Scale): Scores for Sexual Esteem (10 items) and Sexual Preoccupation (10 items) range from –20 to +20. Scores for Sexual Depression (8 items) range from –16 to +16.
• Subscale Item Allocation (Full Scale):
  • Sexual Esteem: Items 1, 4, 7, 10R, 13R, 16, 19R, 22, 25R, 28R (10 items).
  • Sexual Depression: Items 2, 5R, 8, 17, 20, 23R, 26, 29R (8 items).
  • Sexual Preoccupation: Items 3, 6, 9R, 12, 15, 18, 21R, 24R, 27R, 30R (10 items).
• Short-Form (15-item) Item Allocation (Wiederman & Allgeier, 1993):
  • Sexual Esteem: Items 1, 4, 16, 19R, 22 (5 items).
  • Sexual Depression: Items 2, 5R, 8, 17, 23R (5 items).
  • Sexual Preoccupation: Items 3, 6, 12, 15, 18 (5 items).

Keywords

Self-Esteem, Sexual Health, Psychological Assessment, Affective States, Depression, Sexual Behavior, Psychometrics, Internal Consistency, Cronbach alpha

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Not provided in source)

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (William E. Snell, Jr.)

Correspondence Address: William E. Snell, Jr., Department of Psychology, Southeast Missouri State University, One University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The initial scale publication year was 1989. For current usage permissions and potential fees, researchers should address correspondence directly to the primary author, William E. Snell, Jr.

Reference’s

• Hurlbert, D. F., White, L. C., Powell, R. D., & Apt, C. (1993). Orgasm consistency training in the treatment of women reporting hypoactive sexual desire: An outcome comparison of women-only groups and couples-only groups. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 24, 3–13.

• Snell, W. E., Jr., & Papini, D. R. (1989). The Sexuality Scale: An instrument to measure sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccupation. The Journal of Sex Research, 26, 256–263.

• Snell, W. E., Jr., Fisher, T. D., & Schuh, T. (1992). Reliability and validity of the Sexuality Scale: A measure of sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccupation. The Journal of Sex Research, 29, 261–273.

• Wiederman, M. W., & Allgeier, E. R. (1993). The measurement of sexual-esteem: Investigation of Snell and Papini’s (1989) Sexuality Scale. Journal of Research in Personality, 27, 88–102.

Items of the Sexuality Scale‌‌‌

Instructions: The statements listed below describe certain attitudes toward human sexuality which different people may have. As such, there are no right or wrong answers, only personal responses. For each item you will be asked to indicate how much you agree or disagree with the statement listed in that item. Use the following scale to provide your responses:

1. I am a good sexual partner.
2. I am depressed about the sexual aspects of my life.
3. I think about sex all the time.
4. I would rate my sexual skill quite highly.
5. I feel good about my sexuality. (R)
6. I think about sex more than anything else.
7. I am better at sex than most other people.
8. I am disappointed about the quality of my sex life.
9. I don’t daydream about sexual situations. (R)
10. I sometimes have doubts about my sexual competence. (R)
11. Thinking about sex makes me happy.
12. I tend to be preoccupied with sex.
13. I am not very confident in sexual encounters. (R)
14. I derive pleasure and enjoyment from sex.
15. I’m constantly thinking about having sex.
16. I think of myself as a very good sexual partner.
17. I feel down about my sex life.
18. I think about sex a great deal of the time.
19. I would rate myself low as a sexual partner. (R)‌‌
20. I feel unhappy about my sexual relationships.
21. I seldom think about sex. (R)
22. I am confident about myself as a sexual partner.
23. I feel pleased with my sex life. (R)
24. I hardly ever fantasize about having sex. (R)
25. I am not very confident about my sexual skill. (R)
26. I feel sad when I think about my sexual experiences.
27. I probably think about sex less often than most people. (R)
28. I sometimes doubt my sexual competence. (R)
29. I am not discouraged about sex. (R)
30. I don’t think about sex very often. (R)