MENU

Drinking Expectancy Sexual Vulnerabilities Questionnaire (DESV-Q)

The Drinking Expectancy Sexual Vulnerabilities Questionnaire (DESV-Q) is a 22-item self-report measure about the believed effects of drinking alcohol on sexual vulnerability for oneself, men, and women. Items are separated into five domains: Sexual Coercion, Sexual Vulnerability, Confidence, Self-Centeredness, and Negative Cognitive and Behavioral Changes. The scale captures whether alcohol makes one sexually aggressive or increases the likelihood of sexual victimization.

Categories

Geographies Tested: Australia

Populations Included: Female, Male

Age Range: Adolescents, Adults

Items:

Drinking alcohol makes [me/men/women]...

Sexual Coercion
1. likely to be forceful to get sex
2. likely to be persuasive if my/their partner says no to sex
3. it hard for me/men/women to stop myself/themselves when my/their partner doesn't want to have sex

Sexual Vulnerability
4. it difficult for me/men/women to say no to sex in a clear and consistent ways
5. likely to have sex against my/their will
6. at risk of being forced into sex
7. feel confident when I'm/they're around others

Confidence
8. sure of myself/themselves in social situations
9. feel comfortable to talk to people that I/they don't know
10. sure of myself/themselves when meeting new people
11. put my/their own needs before others'

Self-Centeredness
12. care about my/their own feelings more than others'
13. care about myself/themselves more than others
14. it hard for me/men/women to make good decisions

Negative Cognitive and Behavioral Changes
15. act like I'm/they're a different person
16. see a side of myself/themselves that I/they don't normally see
17. forget about how hurtful a word or an action could be
18. it difficult for me/men/women to realize when I've/they've done something wrong
19. it hard for me/men/women to understand right from wrong
20. forget about what I/they need to do to stay safe
21. do things I/they later regret
22. put myself/themselves in risky situations

Response Options:
A 5-point Likert scale from 1 "Strongly disagree" to 5 "Strongly agree"

Scoring Procedures

Not Available

Original Citation

Starfelt, L. C., Young, R. M., White, K. M., & Palk, G. (2016). Development and preliminary validation of the Drinking Expectancy Sexual Vulnerabilities Questionnaire (DESV-Q): a purpose-specific instrument for rape-perception research. Substance Use & Misuse, 51(3), 330-342. DOI: 10.3109/10826084.2015.1110168


Psychometric Score

Ease of Use Score

Scoring breakdown

Formative Research

Qualitative Research

Existing Literature/Theoretical Framework

Field Expert Input

Cognitive Interviews / Pilot Testing

Reliability

Internal

Test-retest

Interrater

Validity

Content

Face

Criterion (gold-standard)

Construct

KEY

Ease of Use

Readability

Scoring Clarity

Length

Join the EMERGE Community

to get the latest updates on new measures and guidance for survey researchers