Sexual-Esteem 1

The Sexuality Scale:

An Instrument to Measure Sexual-Esteem, Sexual-Depression, and
Sexual-Preoccupation

William E. Snell, Jr.

Southeast Missouri State University

Running head: SEXUAL-ESTEEM

Date: July 29, 1988

Portions of these data were presented at the 34th annual meeting of the
Southwestern Psychological Association, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gratitude is
extended to Mark R. Leary, Antonia Abbey, Clyde Hendrick, Rowland
Miller, and Paul Cherulnik for their helpful comments on an earlier
version of this manuscript. Requests for reprints should be sent to
William E. Snell, Jr., Department of Psychology, Southeast
Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701.
 Sexual-Esteem 2

The Sexuality Scale:

An Instrument to Measure Sexual-Esteem, Sexual-Depression, and
Sexual-Preoccupation
Abstract
This article describes the development of an inventory designed to
measure of three aspects of human sexuality (the Sexuality Scale):
sexual-esteem, defined as positive regard for and confidence in the
capacity to experience one's sexuality in a satisfying and enjoyable way;
sexual-depression, defined as the experience of feelings of depression
regarding one's sex life; and sexual-preoccupation, defined as the
tendency to think about sex to an excessive degree. The procedure
invoved (a) item construction, selection and subsequent validation
through item analysis; (b) a factor analysis of the items on the Sexuality
Scale and the establishment of factorial validity; and (c) a concurrent
validity study in which subscale scores on the Sexuality Scale were
related to the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale for college-age women and
men. The results indicated that the three subscales are psychometrically
sound and relate in meaningful, predictable ways to women's and men's
expressed willingness to discuss aspects of their sexuality with female
and male therapists. The therapeutic and research importance of the
concepts of sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccuation
are discussed.

KEY WORDS: sexual-esteem, personality, sexual-health

 Sexual-Esteem 3

The Sexuality Scale:

An Instrument to Measure Sexual-Esteem, Sexual-Depression, and
Sexual-Preoccupation
People's sexual adjustment and satisfaction are important
features of their own personal well-being and their satisfaction with their
intimate relationships. Occasionally, however, individuals experience
problems and frustrations with the sexual aspects of their relationships.
Many times the sources of these frustrations are due to individual
differences related to human sexuality. Sex-guilt, defined as people's
tendency to punish themselves for a real or anticipated violation of their
personal values of appropriate sexual behavior (Mosher, 1965, 1966),
has been discussed as a personality tendency that interferes with sexual
adjustment and satisfaction (Gerrard, 1987; Mosher, 1973; D'Augelli &
Cross, 1975; Love, Sloan, & Schmidt, 1976). Sex anxiety is another
tendency which can undermine people's sexual satisfaction. Using their
recently developed instrument, the Sex Anxiety Inventory, Janda and
O'Grady (1980) report that dispositional sex anxiety was associated with
lower sexual activity among both women and men.
Despite the work on sex-guilt and sex-anxiety, there is currently a
lack of measures dealing with other important aspects of people's
sexuality. The purpose of the present article was to present the results
of a study designed to devise an assessment inventory addressing three
important, yet underemphasized sexual concepts: sexual-esteem,
sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccupation. Sexual-esteem was
defined as a generalized tendency to engage in nonspecific internal
reinforcement toward oneself because of one's capacity to relate
sexually to another person. As such, it is important to note that this
tendency may or may not be a realistic appraisal, but instead probably
reflects people's prior experiences related to their sexuality.
By contrast, the concept of sexual-depression was defined as a
tendency to engage in specific internal punishment toward oneself about
one's capability to relate sexually to another individual. Again, this type
of tendency was viewed as self-perceptive in nature rather than being
necessarily true. It reflects and is based on people's perceptions of their
past history of sexual experiences. The third concept examined in the
present research was concerned with sexual-preoccupation. Sexual-
 Sexual-Esteem 4

preoccupation was defined as the persistent tendency to become so

absorbed in, obsessed with, and engrossed in sexual cognitions and
behaviors that one virtually excludes from one's mind thoughts of other
matters. The source of this obsessional tendency is is assumed to be
the person's prior learning experiences in the area of human sexuality.
These three concepts (i.e., sexual-esteem, sexual-depression,
and sexual-preoccupation) were studied in this scale construction project
through the development of the Sexuality Scale (SS). The project
involved several different steps. First, a set of items was written and
evaluated through the use of factor analysis. This procedure was used
in order to examine the factorial validity of the items on the Sexuality
Scale. Reliability analyses were then conducted on each of the
subscales, and subscale intercorrelations were conducted. Finally, the
concurrent validity of the Sexuality Scale was investigated by studying its
relationship with the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale (SSDS; Snell, Belk,
Papini, & Clark, 1988), a measure of people's willingness to discuss
sexual topics with male and female therapists.
It was predicted that sexual-esteem would be positively related
and that sexual-depression would be negatively associated with women's
and men's willingness to discuss their sexuality with therapists. This
prediction was based on the rationale that people who feel good about
their sexuality and who derive a positive sense of self from their sexuality
will be more likely to discuss the sexual aspects of themselves with
therapists (cf. Herold & Way, 1988). Likewise, the predicted negative
relationship between sexual-depression and women's and men's
willingness to be open and revealing about their sexuality was based on
the notion that those who feel sad and "down in the dumps" about the
sexual aspects of their lives (i.e., those high in sexual-depression) will be
more reluctant to share this information with others, including both
female and male therapists. Predictions concerning sexual-
preoccupation were less straightforward to make.
Method
Subjects
The 296 participants (209 females and 87 males) in the present
investigation were drawn from lower division psychology courses at a
small mid-western university. The subjects volunteered to participate in
 Sexual-Esteem 5

this project as one way to earn partial credit toward their final course
grade. The average age of the women in this study was 23.54 (SD =
5.87), with a range of 19 to 53. The male subjects averaged 23.71 years
of age (SD = 4.44), with a range of 19 to 37. The number of subjects in
the following analyses will at times vary because of occasional missing
data.
 Sexual-Esteem 6

Procedure
When subjects arrived at they testing room, the purpose of the
study was briefly described to them and they were asked to read and
sign an informed consent form. They were guaranteed complete
anonymity and were assured that their responses would be kept in
complete confidentiality. All subjects who entered the experiment agreed
to participate. They were then instructed to read the directions and to
respond to the items on the Sexuality Scale (SS) and to the items on the
sexual Self-Disclosure Scale (SSDS; Snell et al., 1988). When they
completed this activity, all subjects were debriefed.
Construction of the Sexuality Scale (SS)
A set of items was written for the three subscales on the Sexuality
Scale (SS). The items in each of the three groups were written in accord
with the definitions of sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-
preoccupation specified earlier. The author narrowed down the initial
pool of items to a set of ten statements for each group. Table 1 presents
the final ten items on each of the three subscales on the Sexuality Scale.
For each item, the subjects were asked to indicate how much they
agreed-
disagreed with that statement. A 5-point Likert scale was used to collect
data on the subjects' responses, with each item being scored from +2 to
-2: agree (+2), slightly agree (+1), neither agree nor disagree (0), slightly
disagree (-1), disagree (-2). In order to create subscale scores, the
items on each subscale were summed. Higher positive scores thus
corresponded to greater agreement with the statements, and more
extreme negative scores indicated greater disagreement with the
statements.
 Sexual-Esteem 7

_______________
Insert Table 1 about here
_______________
Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale (SSDS)
The Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale (SSDS; Snell et al., 1988) was
designed to measure women's and men's willingness to discuss several
aspects of their sexuality with two separate disclosure recipients: female
and male therapists. The twelve subscales (5 items per subscale) on the
Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale are concerned with the following topics: (1)
sexual behaviors, (2) sexual sensations; (3) sexual fantasies, (4) sexual
attitudes, (5) meaning of sex, (6) negative sexual affect, (7) positive
sexual affect, (8) sexual concerns, (9) birth control, (10) sexual
responsibility, (11) sexual dishonesty, and (12) rape. A 5-point Likert
scale was used to measure the subjects' responses: 0 = not at all
willing, 1 = somewhat willing, 2 = slightly willing, 3 = almost totally willing,
and 4 = totally willing to discuss this topic with the specified disclosure
recipients (i.e., female and male therapists). Subscale scores for each
disclosure recipient were computed by summing subjects' responses to
the items on each subscale. Higher scores corresponded to greater
willingness to discuss the twelve topics on the Sexual Self-Disclosure
Scale with female and male therapists. Snell et al. (1987) reported
alphas ranging from a low of .83 to a high .94 for the SSDS subscales
(average = .91).
Results
The results are presented in four sections: (a) the factor analysis
results for the items on the Sexuality Scale (SS); (b) the results of
reliability analyses conducted on the three subscales for male and
female subjects, both separately and in combination; (c) the correlations
among the sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccupation
subscales, as well as normative data for male and female subjects; and
(d) the relationships between the three subscales on the Sexuality Scale
and the subscales on the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale (SSDS; Snell et
al., 1988). Since both of these measures contained multiple subscales,
it was decided to analyze the data with canonical correlation analyses (a
multivariate statistical procedure).
Factor Analysis Results
 Sexual-Esteem 8

To verify the three conceptual dimensions underlying the

Sexuality Scale (SS), the thirty items on the SS were subjected to a
principal components factor analysis. A three factor solution was
specified and rotated to orthogonal simple structure with the varimax
procedure. The item loadings are shown in Table 1.
The first factor had an eigenvalue of 8.39 and accounted for 56
percent of the common variance. As an inspection of Table 1 indicates,
the first factor was characterized by the items on the sexual-esteem
subscale. All ten sexual-esteem items loaded on this factor with
coefficients ranging from .52 to .82 (average coefficient, .69). The
second factor had an eigenvalue of 4.75 and accounted for 32 percent
of the common variance. All ten of the sexual-preoccupation items
loaded substantially on this factor (i.e., greater than .41), with an average
loading of .65 (range = .41 to .86).
The third factor, accounting for 13 percent of the common
variance and having an eigenvalue of 1.88, dealt with the sexual-
depression items. As can be seen in Table 2, eight of the ten items on
this sexual-depression subscale had loadings greater than .43 on this
factor (range = .48 to .84; average coefficient = .67). The other two
items had loadings less than .20 and thus it was decided not to use them
in subsequent subscale computations and analyses. In summary, there
was considerable factorial-validity evidence for the independence of the
three measures of sexual-esteem, sexual-preoccupation, and sexual-
depression.
Reliability Results
The internal consistency of the three subscales on the Sexual
Scale (i.e., sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-
preoccupation) was determined by calculating Cronbach alpha
coefficients. These coefficients were computed for each of the three
subscales, for women and men separately and together. Each
coefficient was based on 10 items scales, except for the measure of
sexual-depression which was shortened to eight items based on the
factor analysis results.
The alphas for the sexual-esteem scale were: .92 for women, .93
for men, and .92 for all subjects. For the sexual-depression subscale,
the alpha for women was .88 and the alpha for men was .94 (combined
 Sexual-Esteem 9

alpha = .90). The alphas for the sexual-preoccupation scale were: .88
for women, .79 for men, and .88 for all subjects. In brief, the three
subscales had more than adequate internal consistency, thus justifying
their use in the following analyses.
Intercorrelations
Table 2 presents the correlation results associated with the
sexual-
esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccupation subscales. These
analyses were conducted for women and men separately and in
combination to determine whether gender might be a variable that
influences the relationships among the three subscales. An inspection of
this table indicates that sexual-esteem was strongly correlated in a
negative direction with sexual-depression among both women and men.
Also, it can be seen that the negative correlation between sexual-esteem
and sexual-
depression tended to be slightly stronger among the men subjects (see
Table 2).
Two gender-specific correlations were also statistically significant.
Among women, sexual-preoccupation was positively correlated with
sexual-esteem; whereas among men, sexual-preoccupation was
positively correlated with sexual-depression. No other significant
correlations were found.
_______________
Insert Table 2 about here
_______________
Gender Results
A two-group (females and males) MANOVA was conducted on
the three subscales on the Sexuality Scale to determine whether women
and men would report experiencing different levels of sexual-esteem,
sexual-depression, or sexual-preoccuaption. The overall gender effect
was highly significant, F(3, 290) = 15.68, p < .001. Univariate analyses
revealed a significant gender effert for only the sexual-preoccupation
subscale, F(1, 292) = 47.23, p < .0001. Table 3 reveals that males
reported much higher levels of sexual-preoccupation (M = 2.42) than did
females (M = -3.99). This table also indicates that males and females
were quite similar in terms of their sexual-esteem and sexual-depression.
 Sexual-Esteem 10

An inspection of Table 3 also reveals an interesting set of

findings. The means for both women and men on the sexual-esteem
subscale were both positive, indicating that they felt rather positive about
themselves and their sexuality. Likewise, women's and men's scores on
the sexual-
depression scale were negative, thus indicating that on the average
these students were not feeling particularly depressed about the sexual
aspects of themselves.
_______________
Insert Table 3 about here
_______________
Canonical Correlation Results
The validity of the Sexuality Scale was examined through the use
of canonical correlation analysis. Canonical correlation involves the
examination of the possible relationships between two sets of variables.
In the present investigation the two groups of subscales were those on
the Sexuality Scale and those on the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale. The
analysis is accomplished through a statistical procedure similar to
principal components factor analysis, except that canonical correlation
analysis finds the linear combinations of scores from both sets of
variables that have the greatest variance in common. Loadings greater
than |.40| were considered large enough for interpretation in the present
investigation. The analyses were conducted on the entire sample, and
on the females and males separately. (However, since unique findings
emerged for women and men and thus qualify the interpretation of the
findings found for the combined sample, the combined results are simply
presented in Table 4 but not discussed.)
The canonical correlation analyses were expected to provide
concurrent validation for the Sexuality Scale. More specifically, it was
anticipated that women's and men's sexual-esteem would be positively
related and their sexual-depression scores would be negatively related to
their willingness to discuss their sexuality with male and female
therapists. The canonical corre
Sexuality Scale and the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale are presented in
Table 4. An inspection of this table indicates that among women, two
canonical solutions were statistically significant for each disclosure
 Sexual-Esteem 11

recipient. These findings revealed that women with higher sexual-

esteem and lower sexual-depression, as measured by the Sexuality
Scale, reported being more willing to discuss those topics dealing with
their sexual sensations and their positive sexual feelings with both
female and male therapists. Additionally, the results indicated that
women with higher sexual- preoccupation and sexual-depression scores
reported being more willing to discuss their sexual sensations, sexual
fantasies, and negative sexual affect with female therapists; and that
women with higher sexual-preoccupation scores reported being willing to
discuss topics concerned with their sexual behaviors, sensations, and
fantasies with male therapists.
The structure loadings associated with the men's responses to
the Sexuality Scale and the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale are also
presented in Table 4. As can be seen from an inspection of this table,
among men there was only one statistically significant canonical solution.
This finding indicated that men with higher sexual-esteem and lower
sexual-depression scores reported being more willing to discuss the
following topics with a male therapist: sexual behaviors, sexual
sensations, sexual fantasies, the meaning of sex, positive and negative
sexual affect, sexual dishonesty, and distressing sexual experiences.
_______________
Insert Table 4 about here
_______________
Discussion
The Sexuality Scale was designed to measure several aspects of
human sexuality: sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-
preoccupation. Factor analysis confirmed that the items on the Sexuality
Scale form three conceptual clusters that correspond to these three
concepts. Other results reported in this article also indicated that all
three subscales had clearly acceptable levels of reliability. Additional
findings indicated that whereas there were no gender differences on the
measures of sexual-esteem and sexual-depression, men reported higher
levels of sexual-preoccupation than did women. Such a finding is
consistent with the notion that men's attention is more focused on their
sexuality than is women's.
 Sexual-Esteem 12

Other results showed that among both women and men, sexual-
esteem was negatively related with sexual-depression, with the
relationship being slightly stronger among men than women. Also,
among women sexual-
esteem was found to be positively associated with sexual-preoccupation,
whereas among men sexual-depression was directly related to sexual-
preoccupation. One can speculate that these two correlations reflect
recent trends dealing with gender and human sexuality. As women
become more comfortable with and derive a sense of esteem from their
sexuality, their sexual motivation may increase and lead to an attending
increase in how often they think about sex. By contrast, the relationship
between sexual-
depression and sexual-preoccupation among men may be explained by
gender role considerations. That is, to the extent that men are relucant
to discuss any of their feelings of sexual-depression with others, then
sexual-preoccupation may be one of the only avenues available through
which they can psychologically obtain a substitute sense of closeness
and intimacy with another person. Alternatively, the relationship between
sexual-depression and sexual-preoccupation in men may represent an
attempt to compensate for feelings of sexual inadequacy by over-
concentrating on their sexuality, presumably as a way of obtaining a
sense of reassurance about their virility. The present results, however,
do not allow us to determine whether gender-role tendencies actually
mediate the relationship between sexual-depression and sexual-
preoccupation in men. Further research is needed to evaluate this
explanation.
Evidence for the construct validity of the Sexuality Scale was
provided in several analyses involving the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale
(SSDS; Snell et al., 1988). These analyses indicated that women with
higher sexual-esteem and lower sexual-depression were willing to
discuss their sexual sensations and positive sexual feelings with both
woman and men therapists. This finding is consistent with the notion
that women who feel confident about their sexuality (i.e., those who
evaluate the sexual aspects of themselves in a favorable fashion)
express no preference between women and men therapists when it
comes to the issue of discussing their sexuality.
 Sexual-Esteem 13

Interestingly, it was found that sexually-preoccupied women

likewise reported being willing to be open about their sexuality with both
male and female therapists. By comparison, men's sexual-
preoccupation was unrelated to their inclination to talk about their
sexuality with either male or female therapists. Thus, gender seems to
be a variable which moderates the relationship between sexual-
preoccupation and people's willing to be open and revealing about the
fantasies and sensations that sexually arouse them. Researchers may
want to further explore this finding in order to understand more fully the
nature of this relationship. That is, why is sexual-preoccupation
associated with women's but not men's scores on the Sexual Self-
Disclosure Scale?
As an indication of additional validity for the Sexuality Scale, it
was found that men who felt positive about their sexuality (i.e., those
with higher sexual-esteem and lower sexual-depression scores)
reported being more willing to discuss a wide variety of topics dealing
with their sexuality with male therapists. Moreover, a number of these
topics were highly intimate to a degree which is inconsistent with the
superficial sexual boasting which men are alleged to engage in with other
males. This finding thus suggests that there may be limits to the
stereotype that when men interact with other males, all they do is boast
about their sexuality in a lighthearted and insincere manner. Instead, the
evidence from the present study indicates that there may be something
unique about male therapists, such that males are willing to disclose very
vulnerable feelings about their sexuality with them. Future research
would seem warrented to reveal why men are so willing to reveal these
sexual topics with a male but not a female therapist. One might
speculate that men think that women therapists would be less likely to
identify with and to sympathize with some of the social pressures
associated with men's sexuality (cf. Snell, Hawkins, & Belk, 1986). Or it
might be that males are less likely to risk discussing their sexual feelings
with women, because they believe the notion that men themselves ought
to appear knowledgeable and confident about their sexuality (Zilbergeld,
1978). Certainly, there is room for addition research in this area.
The reliability and validity of the three subscales on the Sexuality
Scale indicate that they might be useful for both future research and
 Sexual-Esteem 14

direct service delivery considerations dealing with human sexuality (cf.

Allgeier & Allgeier, 1984). This object self-report instrument can allow
researchers to investigate several important issues regarding the impact
of sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccupation on
women's and men's sexual preferences and behaviors. In our own
continuing research program with the Sexuality Scale, we have begun to
explore the gender-role correlates of these three aspects of human
sexuality and their influence on the interpersonal dynamics of women's
and men's intimate relationships (cf. Snell, 1986; Snell, Belk, & Hawkins,
1986).
In addition, the Sexuality Scale may prove useful to therapists
whose clients are dealing with sexuality concerns (cf. Kaplan, 1974,
1979; Rosenbaum, 1970). In this regard, the collection of additional data
from a wider variety of individuals (e.g., clients in marital versus sexual
therapy) may make it possible to establish optimal and/or desireable
levels of sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccupation
for human sexual functioning. Such information could allow therapists to
learn more about the cognitive aspects of their clients' sexuality and to
attune their therapy sessions to address this information. Used in this
fashion, the Sexuality Scale would seem to be a valuable heuristic which
therapists could use in discussions of sexuality with their clients. For
example, oftentimes clients are out of touch with their sexual feelings
and thoughts. Discussing issues dealing with sexual-esteem, sexual-
depression, and sexual-preoccupation with such clients may help them
to gain further insight and understanding into the nature of their own
sexual behaviors and desires (cf. Apfelbaum & Apfelbaum, 1985). In
addition, the Sexuality Scale could be used in conjunction with
enrichment programs for sexual interaction (Maddox, 1976). This
objective self-report measure of sexual-esteem, sexual- depression, and
sexual-preoccupation could be administered, for instance, in a pre-post
type of design to identify the aspects of such programs which are clearly
beneficial to women and men who are pursuing the enrichment of their
sexual and intimate relationships.
The Sexuality Scale may also prove to be useful to researchers
working in the area of human sexuality. Abbey and her colleagues, for
example, have argued that men often lack the perceptiveness to
 Sexual-Esteem 15

differentiate signs of women's friendliness from indications of their sexual

desires (Abbey, 1982; Abbey, Cozzarelli, McLaughlin & Harnish, 1987;
Abbey & Melby, 1986). All men, however, may not be like this. Those
with higher levels of sexual-esteem may be less prone to this tendency,
while men with higher sexual-preoccupation may be more likely to
confuse women's friendliness with their sexual interest (cf. Shotland &
Craig, 1988). This is an interesting question that, in light of important
considerations dealing with rape and sexual violence, would seem to
warrant immediate attention.
A number of other areas where the use of the Sexuality Scale
may help provide further insight into the nature of human sexuality
concerns parental influences on the development of human sexuality
(Fisher & Hall, 1988; Kahn, 1985), infertility (Adler & Boxley, 1985),
pornography (Love, Sloan, & Schmidt, 1976), sexual arousal (Green &
Mosher, 1985), gender roles (Bailey, Hendrick, & Hendrick, 1987; Snell,
Belk, & Hawkins, in press, 1987), the double standard (Mark & Miller,
1986), rape (Larsen & Long, 1988; Schwarz & Brand, 1983; Selby,
Calhoun, & Brock, 1977), contraceptive use and sexual behavior (Leary
& Dobbins, 1983; Leary & Snell, in press; Werner, 1988), and men's and
women's intimate relationships (Hendrick & Hendrick, 1986; Hendrick,
Hendrick, Foote, & Slapion-Foote, 1984; Hendrick & Hendrick, in press;
Hendrick, Hendrick, Slapion-Foote, & Foote, 1985; Peplau, Hill, & Rubin,
1977). The present research represents an initial step toward the
investigation of these issues through the construction and validation of
the Sexuality Scale. Clearly, this instrument has many potential uses,
and both researchers and therapists may want to consider using the
Sexuality Scale in their own work (Nurius & Hudson, 1988; Przybyla,
Byrne, & Allgeier, 1988).
 Sexual-Esteem 16

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 Sexual-Esteem 18

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 Sexual-Esteem 19

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 Sexual-Esteem 20

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 Sexual-Esteem 21

Table 1
Varimax Rotation Loadings of the Items on the Sexuality Scale
______________________ __________________________________
Items Factors
I II III
______________________ __________________________________
SEXUAL ESTEEM ITEMS:
1. I am a good sexual partner. .70 .09 -.22
4. I would rate my sexual skill quite highly. .75 .19 -.07
7. I am better at sex than most other people. .52 .23 -.06
10. I somtimes have doubts about my sexual competence. (R) .53 -.05
-.27
13. I am not very confident in sexual encounters. (R) .69 .01 -.24
16. I think of myself as a very good sexual partner. .82 .11 -.15
19. I would rate myself low as a sexual partner. (R) .74 .04 -.31
22. I am confident about myself as a sexual partner. .79 .02 -.32
25. I am not very confident about my sexual skill. (R) .74 -.02 -.23
28. I sometimes doubt my sexual competence. (R) .61 -.08 -.30

SEXUAL PREOCCUPATION ITEMS:

3. I think about sex all the time. -.05 .78 .01
6. I think about sex more than anything else. .00 .67 .00
9. I don't daydream about sexual situations. (R) .15 .41 .06
12. I tend to be preoccupied with sex. -.04 .72 .04
15. I'm constantly thinking about having sex. -.11 .77 .07
18. I think about sex a great deal of the time. -.05 .86 .13
21. I seldom think about sex. (R) .17 .56 -.07
24. I hardly ever fantasize about having sex. (R) .04 .55 .10
27.I probably think about sex less often than most people. (R) .28 .50 -.13
30. I don't think about sex very often. (R) .18 .66 .05

SEXUAL DEPRESSION ITEMS:

2. I am depressed about the sexual aspects of my life. -.24 -.01 .77
5. I feel good about my sexuality. (R) -.48 -.07 .48
8. I am disappointed about the quality of my sex life. -.14 .02 .76
11. Thinking about sex makes me happy. (R) -.28 -.28 .20
14. I derive pleasure and enjoyment from sex. (R) -.47 -.19 .20
17. I feel down about my sex life. -.22 .04 .84
20. I feel unhappy about my sexual relationships. -.24 .03 .75
23. I feel pleased with my sex life. (R) -.28 .01 .70
26. I feel sad when I think about my sexual experiences.-.27 .10 .49
29. I am not discouraged about sex. (R) -.25 .14 .56
______________________ __________________________________
Note. (R) indicates that the item is reverse-scored. Where items loaded
greater than |.40| on their assigned factor, the relevant coefficients are
underlined.
 Sexual-Esteem 22

Table 2
Correlations Among the Subscales on the Sexuality Scale
______________________ __________________________________
Subscales on the Sexuality Scale
___________________________________
Sexual-Esteem Sexual-Depression Sexual-Preoccupation
______________________ __________________________________
1. Sexual-Esteem
Males .- -
Females .- -
Combined .- -
2. Sexual-Depression
Males -.70a .- -
Females -.49a .- -
Combined -.56a .- -
3. Sexual-Preoccupation
Males -.11 .33a .- -
Females .19b -.07 .- -
Combined -.11 .06 .- -
______________________ __________________________________
Note. Combined N = 294-295; n for women = 208; and n for men = 86-
87. Higher positive scores correspond to greater sexual-esteem, sexual-
depression, and sexual- preoccupation; and larger negative scores
correspond to less sexual-esteem, sexual- depression, and sexual-
preoccupation. Subscale ranges: sexual-esteem = -20 to 20; sexual-
depression = -16 to 16; and sexual-preoccupation = -20 to 20.
a p < .001. b p < .005. c p < .01. d p < .05.
 Sexual-Esteem 23

Table 3
Means and Standard Deviations on the Subscales on the Sexuality
Scale
______________________ __________________________________
Subscales on the Females Males F All Subjects
Sexuality Scal (N = 208) (N = 86) (1, 292) (N = 294)
______________________ __________________________________

Sexual- 6.10 6.49 < 1.00 6.21

Esteem (8.48) (9.08) (8.65)

Sexual- -6.28 -5.72 < 1.00 -6.12

Depression (7.19) (8.69) (7.65)

Sexual- -3.99 2.42 47.23a -2.12

Preoccupation (7.55) (6.55) (7.83)
______________________ __________________________________
Note. Combined N = 294-295; n for women = 208; and n for men = 86-
87. Higher positive scores correspond to greater sexual-esteem, sexual-
depression, and sexual- preoccupation; and larger negative scores
correspond to less sexual-esteem, sexual- depression, and sexual-
preoccupation. Subscale ranges: sexual-esteem = -20 to 20; sexual-
depression = -16 to 16; and sexual-preoccupation = -20 to 20.

a p < .001.
 Sexual-Esteem 24

Table 4
Canonical Correlation Results Associated with the Sexuality Scale and
the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale
______________________ __________________________________
Disclosure Recipient Female Therapists
Male Therapists
________________________________ _________
Gender of Subject Both Females Males Both Females Males
_______ _______ ____ ______ _______ _____
Canonical Solution(s) I II I II I I II I II I
______________________ __________________________________
CANONICAL RESULTS:
F 2.45d
1.93d 1.82a

2.46d 1.93b

1.59a 1.56a

Canonical Correlation .39 .29 .36 .33 .58 .39 .30 .39 .30 .60

Subscales on the Sexuality Scale:

1. Sexual-Esteem .91 .29 .92 .27 .78 .73 -.47 .97 .06 .46

2. Sexual-Depression -.85 .30 -.79 .47 -.99 -.61 .67 -.68 -.03 -.83

3. Sexual-Preoccupation -.01 .87 .20 .73 -.26 .67 .74 .12 .99 .21

Subscales on the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale:

1. Sexual Behaviors .35 .39 .27 .38 .49 .78 .29 .38 .60 .58

2. Sexual Sensations .47 .66 .49 .53 .48 .78 .40 .50 .51 .44

3. Sexual Fantasies .40 .64 .37 .61 .48 .78 .37 .38 .61 .50

4. Sexual Attitudes .33 -.01 .26 .04 .38 .33 -.07 .20 .14 .39

5. Sex Meaning .44 .13 .30 .36 .61 .43 -.05 .28 .30 .49

6. Negative Sexual Affect .35 .23 .15 .44 .61 .46 -.02 .22 .28 .64

7. Positive Sexual Affect .69 .06 .54 .21 .82 .66 -.25 .52 .15 .81

8. Distressing Sex .38 .22 .23 .38 .66 .45 .15 .19 .29 .60

9. Birth Control .27 -.23 .12 .01 .44 .14 -.08 .05 .11 .25

10. Sexual Responsibility .49 -.08 .39 .07 .54 .27 -.12 .24 .17 .18

11. Sexual Dishonesty .38 .17 .27 .24 .57 .44 .12 .24 .20 .43

12. Rape .43-.15 .33 .11 .48 .24 -.26 .28 .10 .23
______________________ __________________________________
Note. For males, n = 86; for females, n = 208; and for all subjects,
294. Higher positive scores correspond to greater sexual-esteem,
sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccupation; whereas larger negative
scores correspond to less sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and
sexual-preoccupation. For the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale (SSDS),
higher scores correspond to greater willingness to discuss the sexual-
 Sexual-Esteem 25

related topics with male and female therapists.

a p < .05. b p < .01. c p < .005. d p < .001.
 Sexual-Esteem 26

TOPICS SURVEY: GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

On the following pages you will find several questions that

ask you about yourself on a number of topics. These questions
are to be answered on a computer scoreable answer sheet. Use a
# 2 pencil to record your responses. DO NOT MARK ON THE
QUESTIONNAIRE ITSELF.
On the computer scoreable answer sheet, fill in the following
information:
1. At
the upper left, in the space labeled LAST NAME, write male if your
sex is male, or write female is your sex is female. Be sure to
darken the circles under hat you write in. DO NOT WRITE YOUR
NAME. YOUR RESPONSES WILL BE TOTALLY ANONYMOUS.
2. At
the lower left of the answer sheet, you will see a section labeled
DATE OF TEST. Write in your BIRTHDAY ( e.g., 0l-04-50) in that
box labeled GRADE AND SECTION.
Now go ahead and provide your responses on the answer sheet.
Be sure to respond to every topic, even if you are not use. Use a #
2 pencil.
TURN TO THE NEXT PAGE
 Sexual-Esteem 27

************************** Views Inventory *************************

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:
************************************************************ *******
(A) (B) (C) (D) (E)

_________________________________________________________
Agree Slightly Neither Slightly
Disagree
Agree Agree Nor Disagree
Disagree
************************************************************ *******
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.
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.
10. I somtimes have doubts about my sexual competence.
11. Thinking about sex makes me happy.
12. I tend to be preoccupied with sex.
13. I am not very confident in sexual encounters.
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.
20.I feel unhappy about my sexual relationships.
21.I seldom think about sex.
22.I am confident about myself as a sexual partner.
23.I feel pleased with my sex life.
24.I hardly ever fantasize about having sex.
25.I am not very confident about my sexual skill.
26.I feel sad when I think about my sexual experiences.
27.I probably think about sex less often than most people.
28.I sometimes doubt my sexual competence.
29.I am not discouraged about sex.
30.I don't think about sex very often.
 Sexual-Esteem 28

SCORING INSTRUCTIONS
The Sexuality Scale (SS) consists of three (3) subscales. The
labels and items for each of these subscales are listed below:

1. Sexual Esteem (Items 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16,

19, 22, 25, 28)

1. I am a good sexual partner.

4. I would rate my sexual skill quite highly.
7. I am better at sex than most other people.
10. I somtimes have doubts about my sexual competence. (R)
13. I am not very confident in sexual encounters. (R)
16. I think of myself as a very good sexual partner.
19. I would rate myself low as a sexual partner. (R)
22. I am confident about myself as a sexual partner.
25. I am not very confident about my sexual skill. (R)
28. I sometimes doubt my sexual competence. (R)
2. Sexual Depression
(Items 2, 5, 8, 17, 20, 23,
26, 29)

2. I am depressed about the sexual aspects of my life.

5. I feel good about my sexuality. (R)
8. I am disappointed about the quality of my sex life.
11. Thinking about sex makes me happy. (Filler item)
14. I derive pleasure and enjoyment from sex. (Filler item)
17. I feel down about my sex life.
20. I feel unhappy about my sexual relationships.
23. I feel pleased with my sex life. (R)
26. I feel sad when I think about my sexual experiences.
29. I am not discouraged about sex. (R)
3. Sexual Preoccupation (Items 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18,
21, 24, 27, 30)

3. I think about sex all the time.

6. I think about sex more than anything else.
9. I don't daydream about sexual situations. (R)
12. I tend to be preoccupied with sex.
15. I'm constantly thinking about having sex.
18. I think about sex a great deal of the time.
21. I seldom think about sex. (R)
24. I hardly ever fantasize about having sex. (R)
27. I probably think about sex less often than most people. (R)
30. I don't think about sex very often. (R)

CODING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ITEMS

After several items are reverse coded, the relevant items on each
subscale are then coded so that A = 0; B = 1; C = 2; D = 3; and E =
4. Next, the items on each subscale are summed, so that higher
 Sexual-Esteem 29

scores correspond to: greater sexual esteem, sexual depression,

and sexual preoccupation.