ABSTRACT
The validated tools for measuring sexual satisfaction (SS) assess in fact other phenomena such as sexual functioning, assess SS within the context of a romantic heterosexual relationship and intercourse-type activity or were designed to be applied only in therapeutic or rehabilitation contexts. Consequently, they offer an incomplete understanding of SS, particularly among women. We thus developed an alternative measure of SS, the Sexual Satisfaction Comprehensive Index (SSCI), considering both the individual and with-a-partner dimensions, as well as the actual and desired experiences of satisfaction, along with other dimensions affecting SS, and explored its psychometric properties. A total of 1080 young to mid-aged women with different sociodemographic, relationship and sexual identity backgrounds voluntarily completed several measures of SS, including the SSCI. Results showed that the SSCI is a reliable measure for assessing SS. An exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the latent multidimensional structure of the SSCI, supporting its factorial validity. In addition, the SSCI showed appropriate convergent validity with other measures commonly used to assess SS. In sum, the SSCI was revealed to be a useful multidimensional index of SS for research and practice contexts which allows the practitioner or the researcher to make decisions on which dimension(s) are to be evaluated. This study focused on women's SS, and future research with other gender, sexual and cultural identities is necessary to support its utility in multi-identity and multi-sexuality scenarios.
Subject(s)
Orgasm , Personal Satisfaction , Factor Analysis, Statistical , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Psychometrics , Sexual Behavior , Sexual Partners , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship among several social-cognitive predictors of sexual behaviour (beliefs, knowledge, attitudes and values), sexual behaviours, the frequency of sexual activities and several dimensions of sexual satisfaction (individual/with the partner and actual/desired sexual satisfaction). A mixed-method study was conducted. The data were collected using a semi-structured interview specially designed for this study, which was administered to 14- to 20-year-old women. Correlation analyses revealed that the expected direct associations between the explored social-cognitive predictors, sexual behaviour and sexual satisfaction were not established; consequently, possible indirect effects were explored. The results of the mediational model that better fit the data indicated that sexual behaviour is related to (actual) sexual satisfaction not only directly but also indirectly through the frequency of sexual activities in a (probable) effect of partial mediation. These findings have interesting applications in terms of sexual education and sexual health promotion among young women (AU)
El objetivo del estudio fue analizar la relación entre varios predictores social-cognitivos del comportamiento sexual (creencias, conocimientos, actitudes y valores), las conductas sexuales, la frecuencia de actividades sexuales y diferentes dimensiones de la satisfacción sexual (individual/de pareja y actual/deseada). Para ello se utilizó un paradigma mixto de investigación. Para recabar los datos se diseñó una entrevista semiestructurada que fue administrada a mujeres jóvenes de entre 14 y 20 años. El análisis de correlaciones indicó que no se establecen las relaciones directas esperadas entre los predictores social-cognitivos, la conducta y la satisfacción sexual, por lo que se exploraron posibles efectos indirectos. Los resultados del modelo de mediación que mejor se ajusta a los datos revelaron que los comportamientos sexuales se asocian a la satisfacción sexual (actual) de forma directa e indirecta a través de la frecuencia con que se practican las actividades sexuales en un (probable) efecto de mediación parcial. Estos hallazgos tienen interesantes aplicaciones prácticas en términos de educación sexual y promoción de la salud sexual en mujeres jóvenes (AU)
