Scale Overview
The Attitudes toward Transactional Sex Scale (ATTS) was developed by St. Lawrence, Janet S.; Sun, Christina J.; Seloilwe, Esther S.; Magowe, Mabel K. M.; Rampa, Shathani; Dithole, Kefalotse S. (2023). It is designed to measure Attitudes toward transactional sex. The scale is intended for use with Adolescents and young adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 18 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Perceived Benefits, Refusal Ability, Personal Morals, Family Influence.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Perceived Benefits |
1,2,3,15,16,17,18 |
7 |
| Refusal Ability |
6,7,8,9 |
4 |
| Personal Morals |
4,5,10,11,12,14 |
6 |
| Family Influence |
13 |
1 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Strongly Agree, 1 = Agree, 2 = Neither Agree nor Disagree, 3 = Disagree, 4 = Strongly Disagree.
The scale includes 13 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 72. Interpretation guidelines:
- High acceptance of transactional sex: 0 – 24
- Moderate acceptance/neutral attitude toward transactional sex: 25 – 48
- Low acceptance/high refusal of transactional sex: 49 – 72
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.83 – 0.91.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.