Initial Validation of the Sexual Pleasure Scale in Clinical and Non-Clinical Samples of Partnered Heterosexual People

Abstract

IntroductionSexual pleasure is a central aspect of human sexuality; however, no validated measurements exist that assess sexual pleasure. We present a preliminary validation study of the psychometric properties of a Sexual Pleasure Scale (SPS), based on the three items developed by Sanchez, Crocker and Boike to measure sexual pleasure. The SPS is a brief and easy-to-implement instrument that assesses the extent of sexual pleasure experienced from sexual relationships, sexual activities, and sexual intimacy. AimTo assess the validity of the SPS in a subgroup of patients diagnosed with sexual dysfunction (n = 89) and a non-clinical community sample (n = 188) of Portuguese men and women. MethodsWe provide an initial examination of the reliability (eg, Cronbach α), convergent validity (eg, with measurements of sexual satisfaction), and divergent validity (eg, with measurements of body satisfaction) of the SPS. Main Outcome MeasuresThe survey included a sociodemographic questionnaire and a set of questionnaires to test the psychometric properties of the SPS. ResultsThe reliability study showed a high Cronbach value (α = 0.94). Convergent validity of the SPS with the measurements described showed mostly moderate to high statistically significant positive correlations, whereas the criterion-related validity showed the expected low non-significant correlation. The results also showed that the SPS shows strong sensitivity to discriminate people with from those without sexual problems. ConclusionResults from the clinical population indicate that the SPS has good psychometric qualities and is a reliable measurement of sexual pleasure with applicability in clinical practice and clinical research but shows little variability within the community sample.