Sexual Desire Inventory – SDI

Scale Overview

The Sexual Desire Inventory – SDI was developed by Ilana P. Spector, Michael P. Carey, Lynne Steinberg (1996). It is designed to measure Sexual Desire. The scale is intended for use with Adults.

Scale Structure

This instrument consists of 14 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Dyadic Sexual Desire, Solitary Sexual Desire.

Response Format

Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.

Response anchors: Frequency (Items 1, 10) = 0 = Not at all, 1 = Once a month, 2 = Once every two weeks, 3 = Once a week, 4 = Twice a week, 5 = 3 to 4 times a week, 6 = Once a day, 7 = More than once a day, Frequency (Item 2) = 0 = Not at all, 1 = Once or twice a month, 2 = Once a week, 3 = Twice a week, 4 = 3 to 4 times a week, 5 = Once a day, 6 = A couple of times a day, 7 = Many times a day, Strength (Items 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11) = 0 = No desire, 8 = Strong desire, Importance (Items 8, 12) = 0 = Not at all important, 8 = Extremely important, Comparison (Items 9, 13) = 0 = Much less desire, 8 = Much more desire, Duration (Item 14) = 0 = Forever, 1 = A year or two, 2 = Several months, 3 = A month, 4 = A few weeks, 5 = A week, 6 = A few days, 7 = One day, 8 = Less than one day.

Scoring

Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.

Total scores range from 0 to 70. Interpretation guidelines:

• Dyadic Sexual Desire Score Range (Higher scores indicate stronger dyadic desire): 0 – 70
• Solitary Sexual Desire Score Range (Higher scores indicate stronger solitary desire): 0 – 31

Psychometric Properties

Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Dyadic scale alpha = .86; Solitary scale alpha = .96.

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.