Scale Overview
The Perceptions of Love and Sex Scale – PLSS was developed by Susan S. Hendrick & Clyde Hendrick (2002). It is designed to measure Beliefs about the relationship between love and sex. The scale is intended for use with Adults in romantic relationships.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 17 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Love Is Most Important, Sex Demonstrates Love, Love Comes Before Sex, Sex is Declining.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Love Is Most Important |
8,9,10,14,15,17 |
6 |
| Sex Demonstrates Love |
3,4,5,7 |
4 |
| Love Comes Before Sex |
2,6,11,16 |
4 |
| Sex is Declining |
1,12,13 |
3 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Moderately disagree, 3 = Neutral – neither agree nor disagree, 4 = Moderately agree, 5 = Strongly agree.
The scale includes 1 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 1 to 5. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Agreement (Average Subscale Score): 1 – 2
- Moderate Agreement (Average Subscale Score): 3 – 3
- High Agreement (Average Subscale Score): 4 – 5
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Acceptable psychometric properties demonstrated in original validation.
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.