Scale Overview
The Sexual Harassment Attitudes Questionnaire (SHAQ) was developed by Jayne E. Stake and Natalie J. Malovich (1990). It is designed to measure Attitudes toward sexual harassment. The scale is intended for use with College students / Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 36 items organized into 7 factors/subscales: Victim Blame, No Blame, Perpetrator Blame, Ignoring, Complying, Confronting, Emotional Effects.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Victim Blame |
1,6,19,24 |
4 |
| No Blame |
2,4,20,22 |
4 |
| Perpetrator Blame |
3,5,21,23 |
4 |
| Ignoring |
7,9,25,27 |
4 |
| Complying |
8,11,26,29 |
4 |
| Confronting |
10,12,28,30 |
4 |
| Emotional Effects |
13,14,15,16,17,18,31,32,33,34,35,36 |
12 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Strongly disagree, 1 = Moderately disagree, 2 = Somewhat disagree, 3 = Somewhat agree, 4 = Moderately agree, 5 = Strongly agree.
The scale includes 6 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 180. Interpretation guidelines:
- Scores are evaluated at the subscale level. Higher scores indicate stronger endorsement of the respective attitude or reaction.: 0 – 180
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Construct validity demonstrated via subscale correlations.
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.