How to score the Sexual Experiences Survey? A comparison of nine methods.

Abstract

Objective Although assessments of sexual assault victimization and perpetration have greatly improved, current scoring methods do not fully utilize the wealth of information they provide. The present studies assessed new methods for scoring sexual assault severity using the Sexual Experiences Survey (SES; Koss et al., 2007). Method In two studies of female (n = 436) and male (n = 313) non-problem drinkers who had engaged in unprotected sex within the past year, we compared three severity ranking schemes as well as three scoring methods per severity scheme for a total of nine scoring methods. New severity ranking schemes considered tactic types separately, varied combinations of assault outcomes, and accounted for multiple types and frequencies of assaults. Measures assessing convergent validity were also administered. Results Seventy-eight percent (n = 340) of the women reported victimization, and 58% (n = 180) of the men reported perpetration. All severity scoring methods were strongly associated with convergent measures. Conclusions Each scoring method is viable; however especially among samples with greater victimization/perpetration rates, there can be advantages to incorporating multiple types and frequencies of assault experiences into SES scores. Recent refinements of the SES necessitate commensurate improvements in its scoring methods in order to significantly advance the field of sexual assault assessment.

The Use of Drinking and Sexual Assault Protective Behavioral Strategies: Associations With Sexual Victimization and Revictimization Among College Women

“…If women have more than three experiences of a type of sexually assaultive experience, this ASA severity scoring may not fully capture their range of their experiences. However, this ASA severity scoring is an improvement over previous systems in that it incorporates the severity of tactic, type of sexual act, and frequency (Davis et al, 2014). …”

“…Participants indicated the number of times that a tactic or multiple tactics were used up to 3 times (0 = never to 3 = 3 or more times ). Sexual assault incidence and severity was determined using a 63-point scale (Davis et al, 2014). The scoring procedure used frequency and severity of experiences by multiplying each experience (0, 1, 2, or 3) by the victimization experience (1 = sexual contact by verbal coercion, 2 = sexual contact by incapacitation, 3 = sexual contact by force, 4 = attempted or completed rape by verbal coercion, 5 = attempted or completed rape by incapacitation, 6 = attempted or completed rape by force) and summing the total number of experiences with the highest possible score being 63 and the lowest possible score of 0 (no sexual assault history).…”

Sexual Assault Severity and Depressive Symptoms as Longitudinal Predictors of the Quality of Women's Sexual Experiences

“…To assess for ASV occurring during the follow-up year, participants completed the SES at each quarterly assessment. Prior scoring of the SES has grouped participants into categories (e.g., unwanted sexual contact, attempted rape) or overlooked tactic as an indicator of severity of experience (Davis et al, 2014). To address these concerns, a continuous ASV severity score ranging from 0 to 63 was computed for lifetime ASV and ASV for each quarterly assessment.…”

Partner Pressure, Victimization History, and Alcohol: Women’s Condom-Decision Abdication Mediated by Mood and Anticipated Negative Partner Reaction

“…Participants were asked to indicate the number of times each sexual act occurred by tactic used to obtain each act on 3 point response scales (0 = never; 3 = 3 or more times). ASA severity was calculated by multiplying a severity rank that represented a cross between the tactic and outcome (0 = no ASA, 1 = sexual contact by verbal coercion, 2 = sexual contact by intoxication, 3 = sexual contact by force, 4 = attempted or completed rape by verbal coercion, 5 = attempted or completed rape by intoxication, 6 = attempted or completed rape by physical force) by the frequency with which each tactic/outcome combination occurred (39). This sexual victimization severity score had a possible range of 0–63.…”