Sexual Beliefs Scale – SBS
Measures five distinct rape-supportive and sexual consent beliefs: Token Refusal, Leading On Justifies Force, Women Like Force, Men Should Dominate, and No Means Stop.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Sexual Beliefs Scale – SBS was developed by Charlene L. Muehlenhard, Albert S. Felts (1988). It is designed to measure Rape-supportive sexual beliefs. The scale is intended for use with Adults and college students.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 40 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Token Refusal, Leading On Justifies Force, Women Like Force, Men Should Dominate, No Means Stop.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Token Refusal | 7,13,17,20,24,28,36,39 | 8 |
| Leading On Justifies Force | 3,8,11,19,23,29,31,33 | 8 |
| Women Like Force | 4,5,9,14,18,27,37,40 | 8 |
| Men Should Dominate | 1,10,12,16,22,26,30,35 | 8 |
| No Means Stop | 2,6,15,21,25,32,34,38 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Disagree Strongly, 1 = Disagree Mildly, 2 = Agree Mildly, 3 = Agree Strongly.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 24. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Agreement: 0 – 6
- Moderate Agreement: 7 – 12
- High Agreement: 13 – 18
- Very High Agreement: 19 – 24
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Subscale Cronbach's alphas range from .71 to .96 for the long form..
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.