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Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scales for Men

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Abstract

The dual control model (DCM) postulates the involvement of relatively independent inhibitory and excitatory systems, which together provide a “double control” over sexual response and associated behavior (Janssen & Bancroft, 2007). Based on this model, the Sexual Inhibition and Sexual Excitation Scales assess the propensity for sexual excitation and sexual inhibition. This research focused on analyzing some psychometric properties of this questionnaire and developing a Spanish version in men. The sample consisted of 823 heterosexual men of ages ranging from 18 to 74 years. Confirmatory factor analysis generated a version of the scale that consisted of 34 items (11 items with the worst factor loadings were eliminated) distributed in four factors (one sexual excitation factor and three sexual inhibition factors). This is consistent with the DCM of sexual response. The four factors demonstrated good reliability coefficients except for sexual inhibition due to the threat of performance consequences, which was found to have a low internal consistency. Consequently, this is something that will be addressed in future studies. The four factors were found to have good test–retest reliability. The measures of the Sexual Inhibition and Sexual Excitation Scales had good validity properties and a coherent relationship with sexual sensation seeking and erotophilia.

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Funding

This research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports through Grant AP2010-4843. This research is part of the doctoral thesis of M. Reina Granados.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Centre, University of Granada, Granada, Spain

    M. Reina Granados, José María Salinas & Juan Carlos Sierra

  2. Facultad de Psicología, Campus Universitario de Cartuja, s/n, 18011, Granada, Spain

    Juan Carlos Sierra

Authors
  1. M. Reina Granados
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  2. José María Salinas
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  3. Juan Carlos Sierra
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Correspondence to Juan Carlos Sierra.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Appendix

Appendix

Spanish version of the Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scales in men (Janssen et al., 2002a, 2011).

  1. 1.

    Cuando veo imágenes eróticas, me excito fácilmente (When I look at erotic pictures, I easily become sexually aroused)

  2. 2.

    Si estoy yo solo viendo una escena sexual de una película, me excito rápidamente (If I am on my own watching a sexual scene in a film, I quickly become sexually aroused)

  3. 3.

    A veces me excito sexualmente sólo por estar tendido tomando el sol (Sometimes I become sexually aroused just by lying in the sun)

  4. 4.

    Cuando un desconocido/a sexualmente atractivo/a me toca accidentalmente, me excito con facilidad (When a sexually attractive stranger accidentally touches me, I easily become aroused)

  5. 5.

    Cuando tengo una cena romántica con alguien que considero sexualmente atractivo/a, me excito (When I have a quiet candlelight dinner with someone I find sexually attractive, I get aroused)

  6. 6.

    Si hay riesgo de embarazo no deseado, es poco probable que consiga excitarme (If there is a risk of unwanted pregnancy, I am unlikely to get sexually aroused)

  7. 7.

    Necesito que me toquen el pene para mantener la erección (I need my penis to be touched to maintain an erection)

  8. 8.

    Cuando tengo relaciones sexuales, tengo que concentrarme en mis propias sensaciones sexuales para mantener la erección (When I am having sex, I have to focus on my own sexual feelings in order to keep my erection)

  9. 9.

    Si tengo sexo en un lugar aislado, al aire libre y creo que hay alguien cerca, es difícil que me excite mucho (If I am having sex in a secluded, outdoor place and I think that someone is nearby, I am not likely to get very aroused)

  10. 10.

    Cuando veo a alguien que considero atractivo/a vestido/a de una forma sexy, me excito fácilmente (When I see someone I find attractive dressed in a sexy way, I easily become sexually aroused)

  11. 11.

    Cuando pienso que alguien sexualmente atractivo/a quiere tener sexo conmigo, me excito rápidamente (When I think someone sexually attractive wants to have sex with me, I quickly become sexually aroused)

  12. 12.

    Cuando hablo por teléfono con alguien que tiene una voz sexy, me excito sexualmente (When I talk to someone on the telephone who has a sexy voice, I become sexually aroused)

  13. 13.

    No consigo excitarme a menos que me concentre exclusivamente en la estimulación sexual (I cannot get aroused unless I focus exclusively on sexual stimulation)

  14. 14.

    Si siento que mi pareja espera que yo “dé la talla” sexualmente, tengo dificultad para excitarme (If I feel that I’m expected to respond sexually, I have difficulty getting aroused)

  15. 15.

    Si estoy preocupado por satisfacer sexualmente a mi pareja, pierdo fácilmente mi erección (If I am concerned about pleasing my partner sexually, I easily lose my erection)

  16. 16.

    Si me estoy masturbando a solas y me doy cuenta de que alguien puede entrar en la habitación en cualquier momento, perderé mi erección (If I am masturbating on my own and I realize that someone is likely to come into the room at any moment, I will lose my erection)

  17. 17.

    Me resulta difícil excitarme sexualmente a menos que fantasee con una situación muy excitante (It is difficult to become sexually aroused unless I fantasize about a very arousing situation)

  18. 18.

    Si creo que otras personas pueden escucharme mientras tengo sexo, es poco probable que mantenga la excitación (If I can be heard by others while having sex, I am unlikely to stay sexually aroused)

  19. 19.

    Con sólo pensar en un encuentro sexual que he tenido es suficiente para excitarme (Just thinking about a sexual encounter I have had is enough to turn me on sexually)

  20. 20.

    Cuando me estoy duchando o bañando, me excito fácilmente (When I am taking a shower or a bath. I easily become sexually aroused)

  21. 21.

    Si me doy cuenta de que hay riesgo de contraer una infección de transmisión sexual, es poco probable que mantenga la excitación (If I realize there is a risk of catching a sexually transmitted disease, I am unlikely to stay sexually aroused)

  22. 22.

    Si creo que otras personas pudieran verme mientras tengo relaciones sexuales, es poco probable que mantuviese la excitación (If I can be seen by others while having sex, I am unlikely to stay sexually aroused)

  23. 23.

    Cuando un/a desconocido/a sexualmente atractivo/a me mira fijamente a los ojos, me excito sexualmente (When a sexually attractive stranger looks me straight in the eye, I become aroused)

  24. 24.

    Si pienso que tener sexo me causará dolor, perderé mi erección (If I think that having sex will cause me pain, I will lose my erection)

  25. 25.

    Si tener sexo va a causar dolor a mi pareja, es poco probable que mantenga la excitación (If having sex will cause my partner pain, I am unlikely to stay sexually aroused)

  26. 26.

    Cuando pienso en una persona muy atractiva, me excito fácilmente (When I think of a very attractive person, I easily become sexually aroused)

  27. 27.

    Una vez que consigo una erección, quiero comenzar la penetración inmediatamente antes de que pudiera perderla (Once I have an erection, I want to start intercourse right away before I lose my erection)

  28. 28.

    Cuando comienzo a tener fantasías sexuales, me excito rápidamente (When I start fantasizing about sex, I quickly become sexually aroused)

  29. 29.

    Cuando veo a otros teniendo contactos sexuales, me dan ganas de tener sexo (When I see others engaged in sexual activities, I feel like having sex myself)

  30. 30.

    Cuando veo a una persona atractiva, empiezo a fantasear sobre tener relaciones sexuales con él/ella (When I see an attractive person, I start fantasizing about having sex with him/her)

  31. 31.

    Cuando algún pensamiento me distrae, pierdo fácilmente mi erección (When I have a distracting thought, I easily lose my erection)

  32. 32.

    A menudo recurro a las fantasías para mantener la erección (I often rely on fantasies to help me maintain an erection)

  33. 33.

    Si me distraigo por el sonido de una música, televisión o conversación, es poco probable que mantenga la excitación (If I am distracted by hearing music, television. or a conversation, I am unlikely to stay aroused)

  34. 34.

    Cuando una persona atractiva coquetea conmigo, me excito fácilmente (When an attractive person flirts with me, I easily become sexually aroused)

Note. Sexual Excitation Scale (SES): 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 19, 20, 23, 26, 18, 29, 30, 34; Sexual Inhibition Scale 1 (SIS1; Inhibition due to the threat of performance failure): 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 17, 27, 31, 32, 33; Sexual Inhibition Scale 2 (SIS2; Inhibition due to the threat of risk of being caught while engaged in sex): 9, 16, 18, 22; and Sexual Inhibition Scale 3 (SIS3; Inhibition due to the threat of performance consequences): 6, 21, 24, 25.

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Granados, M.R., Salinas, J.M. & Sierra, J.C. Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scales for Men. Arch Sex Behav 47, 783–796 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-0992-7

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