Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale

Sexual attitude involves beliefs and values about sexuality. Sexual attitude plays a significant role in partner selection and other choices related to sexual behavior, such as liberal vs. traditional attitudes toward sex and birth control measures. Given that previous studies have shown that cultural contexts influence sexual attitudes and behaviors, it is imperative that any measures used to assess sexuality must be culturally validated before use. To that end, in the present study, we aimed to examine the validity and psychometric properties of the 23-item Brief Sexual Attitude Scale (BSAS; Hendrick et al., 2006) widely used in the Western cultural context. The original BSAS includes four factors: permissiveness, birth control, communion, and instrumentality. Using a sample of young adults from India aged between 18 and 24 years (N = 424; Male = 220; Female = 204), we examined the psychometric properties of the BSAS in the Indian cultural context. The results of the Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the four-factor model with 23 items fits the data well (χ2(222) = 639.557; p < 0.001; CFI = .910; RMSEA = .067; SRMR = .0702). The scale showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.883). This chapter will also include results of convergent validity and measurement invariance across gender.