Comfort with Sexual Communication is an 8-item measure of how comfortable youth feel when discussing sexual topics, such as sexual desires, sexual pleasure, sexual acts, contraception use, and sexual preferences. The scale also measures how comfortable youth feel when talking about the risk of STDs or HIV.
Geographies Tested: United States of America
Populations Included: Female, Male
Age Range: Adolescents, Adults
1. How would you feel talking about the sexual positions you prefer?
2. How would you feel talking about what feels good to you during sex?
3. How would you feel talking about your sexual fantasies?
4. How would you feel talking about whether to use a condom?
5. How would you feel talking about oral sex (going down)?
6. How would you feel talking about what you would do about a pregnancy (like keep the baby, have an abortion, etc.)?
7. How would you feel talking about what you don’t like during sex?
8. How would you feel talking about the risk of STDs or HIV?
Response Options:
4-point Likert scale
Very uncomfortable - 1
Very comfortable - 4
Item scores are averaged to create the total scale score.
Deardorff, J., Tschann, J. M., & Flores, E. (2008). Sexual values among Latino youth: measurement development using a culturally based approach. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 14(2), 138-146. https://doi.org/10.1037/1099-9809.14.2.138
Psychometric Score
Ease of Use Score
Formative ResearchQualitative Research
Existing Literature/Theoretical Framework
Field Expert Input
Cognitive Interviews / Pilot Testing
ReliabilityInternal
Test-retest
Interrater
ValidityContent
Face
Criterion (gold-standard)
Construct
KEY
Ease of UseReadability
Scoring Clarity
Length
Evidence-based Measures of Empowerment for Research on Gender Equality (EMERGE)
Copyright 2023 – All Rights Reserved
to get the latest updates on new measures and guidance for survey researchers