Assessing sexual aversion in college students: the Sexual Aversion Scale

This study describes a 30-item questionnaire, the Sexual Aversion Scale, that was used to assess sexual fears and avoidance in college students. The construct of sexual aversion was based on the newly listed DSM-III-R criteria for sexual aversion disorder. Results were obtained from 382 college students. The questionnaire was shown to have good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Female students reported significantly more sexual anxiety. They expressed more fear of intercourse and the negative social consequences of their sexual behavior. They were also more inclined to avoid situations where they might become sexually involved. Conversely, males appeared to be more sexually frustrated and said they would become more sexually active were it not for fear of catching a sexually transmitted disease. It is concluded that sexual fears are fairly widespread among college students and are being fueled by the current AIDS crisis. One implication of these findings is that sexual aversion disorder may become a prevalent problem, especially if the AIDS epidemic continues to spread to the heterosexual population.