First Coital Affective Reaction Scale – FCARS
Measures an individual's self-reported positive and negative affective reactions to their first coital experience.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The First Coital Affective Reaction Scale – FCARS was developed by Israel M. Schwartz (1993). It is designed to measure Affective reactions to first sexual intercourse. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 13 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not experiencing the feeling at all, 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4, 5 = 5, 6 = 6, 7 = Strongly experiencing the feeling.
The scale includes 6 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 13 to 91. Interpretation guidelines:
- Predominantly Positive Affect: 13 – 39
- Mixed Affect: 40 – 64
- Predominantly Negative Affect: 65 – 91
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha: .85 – .89.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 2 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.