An abridged Spanish version of Sexual Double Standard Scale: Factorial structure, reliability and validity evidence

Abstract

Background/ObjectiveSexual double standard (SDS) has long been associated to several dimensions of sexual health. Therefore the assessment of SDS is relevant and requires self-reported measures with adequate psychometric properties. This study aims to adapt the Sexual Double Standard Scale (SDSS) into heterosexual Spanish population and examine its psychometric properties. Method: Using quota incidental sampling, we recruited a sample of 1,206 individuals (50% women), distributed across three groups based on their age (18-34, 35-49 and 50 years old and older). Results: We performed both, Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. An abridged version was yielded, consisting of 16 items distributed into two factors (Acceptance for sexual freedom and Acceptance for sexual shyness). A second-order factor structure was also adequate, which facilitates the use of a global index for SDS. Reliability, based on internal consistency and temporal stability was good for the factors. Evidence of validity is also shown and reported. Conclusions: This adapted version of the SDSS is reliable and valid. The importance for its use to estimate the prevalence of both traditional and modern forms of this phenomenon is discussed.

A proposal of a measure of societal sexual double standard

“…From this framework, we assume that men, compared to women, will tend to underestimate the presence of traditional SDS in society. Likewise, although men show more personal adherence to SDS than women [29,45,46], we expect that in the heteroreferred measure men have lower scores than women.…”

“…In this study, we propose a new measure that will serve to obtain a score for each subject about their perception of societal sexual double standard. The proposed measure is based on the SDSS [25] and is designed to be applied in conjunction with another measure also based on SDSS that assesses the individual attitude of the respondent towards SDS (SDSS-S [29]). Next, we discuss the basis of this measure, and in what way it makes it possible to obtain a macro-social indicator of the sexual double standard.…”

“…Another, if we assume that the mean score in the hetero-referred measure is a macrosocial indicator of SDS [35,36], and the average score in a self-referred measure to SDS (e.g., SDSS-S [29]) is an indicator of individual level, we will check the link among certain individual characteristic through both measures.…”

“…Consequently, individuals that more commonly support social inequality [47] will manifest more personal adherence to SDS [29]; and will be more sensitive to social changes that threaten the traditional distribution of roles between both sexes (e.g., overestimating society's support for this kind of change in traditional heterosexual relationships) [48]. Finally, a higher educational level has been negatively associated with personal endorsement of the SDS [29,49], perhaps because people with more education are more sensitive to the asymmetry of sex roles in society. Although the differences among different age groups in self-referred measures of the SDS do not reach statistical significance [29], older participants score higher [50].…”

“…Finally, a higher educational level has been negatively associated with personal endorsement of the SDS [29,49], perhaps because people with more education are more sensitive to the asymmetry of sex roles in society. Although the differences among different age groups in self-referred measures of the SDS do not reach statistical significance [29], older participants score higher [50]. This may be because they have a greater motivation to maintain the asymmetric social norm and therefore minimize society's endorsement of the SDS [51].…”