Sexual Anxiety Scale – SAS
Measures an individual's affective response to sexual cues, ranging from erotophobia (negative affect/discomfort) to erotophilia (positive affect/pleasure).
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Sexual Anxiety Scale – SAS was developed by Erin E. Fallis, Christina Gordon, and Christine Purdon (2005). It is designed to measure Sexual Anxiety / Erotophobia. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 52 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: Solitary and Impersonal Sexual Expression, Exposure to Information, Sexual Communication.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Solitary and Impersonal Sexual Expression | 2,3,5,6,7,9,11,12,13,21,24,30,31,32,33,35,36,37,42,45,47,49 | 22 |
| Exposure to Information | 14,18,27,28,29,38,40,41,43,44,51 | 11 |
| Sexual Communication | 1,4,8,10,15,16,17,19,20,22,23,25,26,34,39,46,48,50,52 | 19 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Extremely Pleasurable, 50 = Neutral, 100 = Extremely Discomforting.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 5200. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Sexual Anxiety (Erotophilia): 0 – 1733
- Moderate Sexual Anxiety: 1734 – 3466
- High Sexual Anxiety (Erotophobia): 3467 – 5200
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha of .95 – .96.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.