Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T03:32:52.288Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dimensionality and Transcultural Specificity of the Sexual Attraction Questionnaire (SAQ)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Juan Fernández ,
María Ángeles Quiroga ,
Vanessa J. Icaza  and
Sergio Escorial
Juan Fernández*
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
María Ángeles Quiroga
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
Vanessa J. Icaza
Affiliation:
Universidad Católica de Santa María (Peru)
Sergio Escorial
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Juan Fernández. Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación, Facultad de Psicología, Campus de Somosaguas. 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón – Madrid (Spain). E-mail: [email protected] Web page: http://sites.google.com/site/jfsprofile/
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Sexual attraction was considered a component of sexual orientation from the beginning of the second half of the 20th century to present times. However, some recent researchers have studied sexual attraction as an independent field measuring it by the Sexual Attraction Questionnaire (SAQ). This study analyzes sexual attraction through the SAQ in 400 university students from a Peruvian catholic university. These participants −191 women and 209 men- show a very diverse curricular background. The following hypotheses were tested: a) the structure of the SAQ, pointing out two concepts: attraction to men and attraction to women; b) the high inverse correlation between these two concepts or factors; c) the specific impact of this context in sexual attraction: higher percentage of attracted by none of the sexes and lower percentage of attracted to the opposite sex, in comparison with other contexts; and d) the Lippa prediction (2006, 2007), regarding a higher polarization of sexual attraction for men than for women. Results support the first three hypotheses. Clarifications are laid down with regard to the fourth one. Discussion focuses on theoretical and applied advantages of using the SAQ as opposed to the frequent use of a single item of sexual attraction for each sex.

La atracción sexual se ha venido considerando, desde el inicio de la segunda parte del siglo XX hasta nuestros días, como un componente más de la orientación sexual. Recientemente, se han realizado algunas investigaciones de la atracción sexual considerada en sí misma. Una de las formas de valorarla ha sido mediante el CAS (Cuestionario de Atracción Sexual). Un grupo de 400 estudiantes universitarios peruanos (191 mujeres y 209 varones), con una gran diversidad curricular, cumplimentó este instrumento. Se han puesto a prueba las siguientes hipótesis: a) la estructura del instrumento, materializando dos conceptos: la atracción hacia varones y la atracción hacia mujeres, b) la existencia de una relación inversa alta entre estos dos constructos o factores; c) la incidencia diferencial de este contexto en las frecuencias con que se manifiestan algunos tipos de atracción sexual: mayor porcentaje de los no atraídos por ningún sexo y menor de los atraídos por el otro sexo, en comparación con otros contextos; y d) la predicción de Lippa (2006, 2007) de la mayor polarización de la atracción sexual en los varones que en las mujeres. Los resultados suponen un apoyo a las hipótesis planteadas, aunque se establecen determinadas matizaciones con respecto a la cuarta. Por último se discuten las ventajas, tanto teóricas como aplicadas, de la utilización de un instrumento como el CAS frente al uso, tan frecuente, de un único ítem de atracción sexual para cada sexo.

Keywords

sexual attraction typologysexual orientationdimensionalitycontextspolarizationtipología de la atracción sexualorientación sexualdimensionalidadcontextopolarización
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 15 , Issue 1 , March 2012 , pp. 323 - 333
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.Google Scholar
American Psychological Association. (2008). Answers to your questions: For a better understanding of sexual orientation and homosexuality. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.Google Scholar
Berkey, B. R., Perelman-Hall, T., & Kurdek, L. A. (1990). The Multidimensional Scale of Sexuality. Journal of Homosexuality, 19, 67–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J082v19n04_05CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bernsen, A., Tabachnick, B. G., & Pope, K. S. (1994). National survey of social workers' sexual attraction to their clients: Results, implications, and comparison to psychologists. Ethics & Behavior, 4, 369–388. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327019eb0404_4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bogaert, A. F. (2004). Asexuality: Prevalence and associated factors in a national probability sample. The Journal of Sex Research, 41, 279–287. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00224490409552235CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bogaert, A. F. (2006). Toward a conceptual understanding of asexuality. Review of General Psychology, 10, 241–250. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.10.3.241CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Buss, D. M. (2003). The evolution of desire. Strategies of human mating (Rev. Ed.). New York, NY: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Busseri, M. A., Willoughby, T., Chalmers, H., & Bogaert, A. F. (2008). On the association between sexual attraction and adolescent risk behavior involvement: Examining mediation and moderation. Developmental Psychology, 44, 69–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.44.1.69Google Scholar
Coleman, E. (1987). Assessment of sexual orientation. Journal of Homosexuality, 14, 9–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1300/J082v14n01_02CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Darwin, C. (1871). The descent of man and selection in relation to sex. London, England: Murray.Google Scholar
D'augelli, A. R., & Patterson, C. J. (2001). Lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities and youth: Psychological perspectives. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, C. M., Yarber, W. L., Bauserman, R., Schreer, G., & Davis, S. L. (1997). Handbook of sexuality-related measures. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Diamond, L. M. (2003). What does sexual orientation orient? A biobehavioral model distinguishing romantic love and sexual desire. Developmental Review, 110, 173–192. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0033-295X.110.1.173Google Scholar
Diamond, L. M. (2008). Sexual fluidity: Understanding women's love and desire. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Eagly, A. H., & Wood, W. (2005). Universal sex differences across patriarchal cultures? evolved psychological dispositions. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 28, 281–283.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fernández, J., Quiroga, M. A., & Del Olmo, I. (2006a). Is there any relationship between sexual attraction and gender typology? The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 9, 3–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fernández, J., Quiroga, M. A., & Del Olmo, I. (2006b). Is sexual attraction independent of the instrumental and expressive traits? The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 9, 162–170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fernández, J., Quiroga, M. A., & Rodríguez, A. (2006). Dimensionalidad de la atracción sexual [Sexual attraction: Its dimensionality]. Psicothema, 18, 392–399.Google Scholar
Fernández, J., Quiroga, M. A., Del Olmo, I., Buizza, C, & Imbasciati, A. (2009). Temporal stability and cross-national consistency of the dimensional structure of the Sexual Attraction Questionnaire (SAQ). The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 12, 725–736.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ferrando, P. J. (1996). Evaluación de la unidimensionalidad de los ítems mediante análisis factorial [Assessing the unidimensionaliy of a set of items using factor-analytic procedures]. Psicothema, 8, 397–410.Google Scholar
Galliher, R. V., Rostosky, S. S., & Hughes, H. K. (2004). School belonging, self-esteem, depressive symptoms in adolescents: An examination of sex, sexual attraction status, and urbanicity. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 33, 235–245. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:JOYO.0000025322.11510.9dCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giovazolias, T., & Davis, P. (2001). How common is sexual attraction towards clients? The experiences of sexual attraction of counselling psychologist toward their clients and its impact on the therapeutic process. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 14, 281–286. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09515070110100974CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harris, S. M. (2001). Teaching family therapists about sexual attraction in therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 27, 123–128. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2001.tb01145.xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Harris, S. M., & Harriger, D. J. (2009). Sexual attraction in conjoint therapy. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 37, 209–216. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01926180802152032CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herdt, G., & McClintock, M. (2000). The magical age of 10. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 29, 587–606. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1002006521067CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hinderliter, A. C. (2009). Methodological issues for studying asexuality. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 38, 619–621. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-009-9502-xCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hu, L., & Bentler, P. M. (1999). Cut-off criteria for fit indices in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives. Structural Equation Modeling, 6, 1–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10705519909540118CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jöreskog, K. G., & Sörbom, D. (2004) Interactive LISREL for MS Windows Opening Systems. Chicago, CA: Scientific Software International.Google Scholar
Klein, F. (1990). The need to view sexual orientation as a multivariable dynamic process: A theoretical perspective. In McWhirter, D. P., Sanders, S. A., & Reinisch, J. M. (Eds.), Homosexuality/heterosexuality: Concepts of sexual orientation (pp. 277–282). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Ladany, N., O'Brien, K. M., Hill, C. E., Melincoff, D. S., Knox, S., & Petersen, D. A. (1997). Sexual attraction toward clients, use of supervision, and prior training: A qualitative study of predoctoral psychology interns. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 44, 413–424. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.44.4.413CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Landau, M. J., Goldengerg, J. L., Greenberg, J., Solomon, S., Martens, A., Pyszczynski, T. … Gillath, O. (2006). The siren's call: Terror management and the threat if men's sexual attraction to women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 129–146. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.90.1.129CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Langlois, J. H., Halakanis, L., Rubenstein, A. J., Larson, A., Hallam, M., & Smoot, M. (2000). Maxism or myths of beauty? A meta-analytic and theoretical review. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 390–423. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.126.3.390CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lippa, R. A. (2006). Is high sex drive associated with increased sexual attraction to both sexes? Psychological Science, 17, 46–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2005.01663.xGoogle Scholar
Lippa, R. A. (2007). The relation between sex drive and sexual attraction to men and women: A cross-national study of heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual men and women. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36, 209–222. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-006-9146-zCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McClintock, M. K., & Herdt, G. (1996), Rethinking puberty: The development of sexual attraction. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 5, 178–183. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.ep11512422CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Paul, C., Fitzjohn, J., Eberhart-Phillips, P., Herbison, P., & Dickson, N. (2000). Sexual abstinence at age 21 in New Zealand: The importance of religion. Social Sciences and Medicine, 51, 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(99)00425-6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pope, K. S., Keith-Spiegel, P., Tabachnick, B. G. (2006). Sexual attraction to clients: The human therapist and the (sometimes) inhuman training system. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 8, 96–111. (Reprinted from American Psychologist, 1986, 41, 147–158). http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.41.2.147CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reis, H. T., & Sprecher, S. K. (2009). Encyclopedia of human relationships (p. 135). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rostosky, S. S., Owens, G., Zimmerman, R. S., & Riggle, E. D. B. (2003). Associations among sexual attraction status, school belonging, and alcohol and marijuana use in rural high school students. Journal of Adolescence, 26, 741–751. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2003.09.002CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schreider, J. B., Stage, F. K., King, J., Nora, A., & Barlow, E. A. (2006). Reporting structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis results: A review. The Journal of Education Research, 99, 323–337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sell, R. L. (1996). The Sell Assessment of Sexual Orientation: Background and scoring. Journal of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Identity, 1, 295–310.Google Scholar
Sell, R. L. (1997). Defining and measuring sexual orientation: A review. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 26, 643–658. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1024528427013CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sell, R. L., & Becker, J. B. (2001). Sexual orientation data collection and progress toward healthy people 2010. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 876–882. http://dx.doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.91.6.876Google Scholar
Stokes, J. P., Miller, R. L., & Mundhenk, R. (1998). Toward an understanding of behaviorally bisexual men: The influence of context and culture. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 7, 101–113.Google Scholar
Weinrich, J. D., Snyder, P. J., Pillard, R. C., Grant, I., Jacobson, D. L., Robinson, S. R., & McCutchan, J. A. (1993). A factor analysis of the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid in two disparate samples. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 22, 157–168. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01542364Google Scholar
Wood, W., & Eagly, A. H. (2002). A cross-cultural analysis of the behavior of men and women: Implications for the origins of sex differences. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 699–727. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0033-2909.128.5.699CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed