A Short Measure of Sexual Self Concept

Sexual self-concept (SSC), or the self-evaluation of sexual feelings and behaviors, can influence various health outcomes, such as sexual risk-taking and contraceptive use. Much of the research on SSC has been limited to highly specialized samples, and it is not yet widely present in the general social science literature, despite fundamental, far-reaching implications of the construct. One likely limiting factor in a broader examination of the SSC construct is the perceived complexity.Lack of availability of short measures makes an assessment as part of larger batteries relatively impractical. In a sample of over 17,000participants, we identified and replicated four factors (Sexual Satisfaction, Sexual Desire, Sexual Agency, and Sexual Anxiety)within a previously developed and validated 100-item, 20-facet measure of SSC (the Multidimensional Sexual Self-Concept Questionnaire, MSSCQ; Snell, 1998) and created a 16-item short-form suitable for inclusion in broader research paradigms. The availability of an efficient assessment of SSC will allow an acceleration of research into the development of this critically important, and yet historically under-investigated, identity construct.