Dyadic Sexual Communication Scale – DSC
Measures the quality of communication about sexual matters between relationship partners.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Dyadic Sexual Communication Scale – DSC was developed by Catania, J. A. (1998). It is designed to measure Dyadic sexual communication. The scale is intended for use with Adults in relationships.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 13 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Moderately disagree, 3 = Neutral – neither agree or disagree, 4 = Moderately agree, 5 = Strongly agree.
The scale includes 7 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 13 to 65. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low sexual communication quality: 13 – 39
- High sexual communication quality: 40 – 65
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of alpha = .81.
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.