Development and initial validation of the Positive Sexuality Scale for female adults

Abstract

Aim and objectives To develop and initially validate the Positive Sexuality Scale (PSS) to assess adult female‐positive sexuality. Background While traditional approaches focus on negative sexual experiences and sexual dysfunctions, within the positive psychology framework positive sexuality is a subjective experience of happiness and fulfilment with one’s sexual expression, which contributes to well‐being. No measure exists that specifically measures adult female‐positive sexuality and can be confidently used with women of any fertility/childlessness status. Design Two‐stage cross‐sectional study with a 4‐week test–retest, which follows the STROBE guidelines. Methods Participants were 912 Italian women aged 18–45 (52.74% mothers, 23.79% voluntarily childless and 23.46% primary infertile), who completed the 5‐item PSS and a self‐report of psychological well‐being. A subsample (n = 61) completed the 4‐week test–retest. Results Factor analyses supported a one‐factor model with measurement invariance across adulthood stage and fertility/childlessness status and good reliability. Younger and fertile women showed higher PSS scores, and moderate‐to‐high variability in infertile women’s well‐being was accounted for by PSS scores. Conclusion The PSS is a brief self‐report with initial evidence of validity and reliability that could be used in sex research, practice and education. Relevance to clinical practice The PSS could assist health professionals to identify a positive resource to which women can draw on to deal with sex‐related issues. Implementing the assessment of female‐positive sexuality in infertility protocols could help professionals to identify a potential resource within couples facing infertility and its treatment.

Dyadic Invariance of the Positive Sexuality Scale in Chilean Heterosexual Couples

“…To our knowledge, no previous studies have related age and relationship length with positive sexuality. The only exception is the original validation study of the PSS [19]. That study reported slightly higher positive sexuality levels in younger women than in older ones, which is in line with our findings.…”

“…Dyadic invariance testing is especially critical in the field of sexuality, as men and women might hold different conceptualizations of sexuality-related dimensions [4]. We tested the dyadic invariance of the Positive Sexuality Scale (PSS), a brief one-factor measure of positive sexuality developed within the sex-positive framework [19]. Our findings supported full configural, metric, and scalar invariance, and partial strict invariance, indicating that the PSS works in the same way for both members of Chilean heterosexual couples.…”

“…Participants responded to a sociodemographic form (gender, age, marital status, length of relationship) and the PSS [19]. The PSS includes 5 items (e.g., "Sex with my partner is an exciting experience") rated on a 7-point scale (1 = "strongly disagree" to 7 = "strongly agree").…”

“…Within the sex-positive framework, positive sexuality refers to pleasure, expression, and contentment regarding sexual interests and behavior that strongly contribute to wellbeing [18]. Based on such a definition, a brief self-report measure was recently created and validated to assess female positive sexuality: the Positive Sexuality Scale (PSS) [19]. The PSS was developed using a focus group approach, and psychometric testing indicated that it is a valid and reliable one-factor tool of a woman's sense of happiness and fulfillment with her unique sexuality and sexual expression that contributes to wellbeing.…”

Positive sexuality, relationship satisfaction, and health: a network analysis

“…Indeed, individuals with better physical health and healthier lifestyles report higher sexual satisfaction, sexual pleasure, and sexual desire ( Flynn et al, 2016 ; Mollaioli et al, 2020 ; Gianotten et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, positive sexuality indicators such as sexual satisfaction and sexual wellbeing are positively associated with psychological well-being and self-esteem ( Casu, 2019 ; Leavitt et al, 2019 ; Shaughnessy et al, 2022 ).…”