A Scale for the Assessment of Sexual Standards Among Youth: Psychometric Properties

29Citations
Citations of this article
79Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

The (hetero)sexual double standard (SDS), prescribing sexual modesty for girls and sexual prowess for boys, negatively affects sexual and mental health. Nevertheless, endorsement and enactment of the SDS is still common. In this study, we respond to recent calls for modernization in the field of sexual double standard research. We describe the development of the “Scale for the Assessment of Sexual Standards among Youth” (SASSY), as well as its psychometric properties. This instrument was designed to measure contemporary sexual double standard endorsement, defined as “the degree to which an individual’s attitude reflects a divergent set of expectations for boys and girls, in that boys are expected to be relatively more sexually active, assertive, and knowledgeable and girls are expected to be relatively more sexually reserved, passive, and inexperienced” among adolescents and emerging adults. In Study 1, a pool of 35 items was administered in a Dutch sample (N = 465, 54.8% female, age 16–20). A 20-item set formed a one-dimensional and internally consistent scale and was subsequently administered in a second Dutch sample. Study 2 (N = 818, 58.4% female, age 16–25) again assessed the 20-item set. After dropping one item, the 19-item SASSY proved to be one-dimensional and internally consistent, exhibiting good test–retest reliability, construct validity, and convergent validity. Finally, the instrument showed configural and metric measurement invariance across gender, age, education level, and sexual experience level, and configural, metric, and scalar measurement invariance across time. These studies confirmed the 19-item SASSY to be a reliable and valid new tool for the assessment of contemporary sexual double standard endorsement among adolescents and emerging adults.

References Powered by Scopus

Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance

12025Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties

10724Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

An index of factorial simplicity

9038Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Cited by Powered by Scopus

He is a Stud, She is a Slut! A Meta-Analysis on the Continued Existence of Sexual Double Standards

121Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Measuring gender norms about relationships in early adolescence: Results from the global early adolescent study

50Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

The Big “O”: Sociocultural Influences on Orgasm Frequency and Sexual Satisfaction in Women

42Citations
N/AReaders
Get full text

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Emmerink, P. M. J., van den Eijnden, R. J. J. M., ter Bogt, T. F. M., & Vanwesenbeeck, I. (2017). A Scale for the Assessment of Sexual Standards Among Youth: Psychometric Properties. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(6), 1699–1709. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-1001-x

Readers over time

‘17‘18‘19‘20‘21‘22‘23‘2406121824

Readers' Seniority

Tooltip

PhD / Post grad / Masters / Doc 25

63%

Researcher 7

18%

Professor / Associate Prof. 6

15%

Lecturer / Post doc 2

5%

Readers' Discipline

Tooltip

Psychology 23

56%

Social Sciences 8

20%

Nursing and Health Professions 7

17%

Medicine and Dentistry 3

7%

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free
0