Test-Retest Reliabilities of Four Tactic-first Sexual Violence History Questionnaires

The present study documented, compared, and contrasted the test-retest reliabilities of the victimization and perpetration forms of a Tactic-first Sexual Experiences Survey (T-SESs) and the Post-Refusal Sexual Persistence Scales (PRSPSs).

243 Mechanical Turk workers (116 women, 124 men) completed four questionnaires in a randomized order via anonymous web survey at Time 1 and approximately one week later at Time 2.

There were consistent gender differences in test-retest estimates. When assessing a history of victimization in women, both the T-SES and the PRSPS demonstrated evidence of minimal to good reliability (κ > .61, ICC = .86-92) while for men the PRSPS (κ = .64) was more consistent than the T-SES (κ = .59). When assessing a history of perpetration, there were fewer gender differences although post-hoc analyses suggest potential gender differences in assessing substance use facilitated perpetration (κ .48-.83) but were limited by few cases. Continuous scoring approaches were the most reliable, dichotomous scores were mostly reliable, and categorical scores generally did not meet minimal acceptable standards. For the rape victimization acknowledgment items, we found strong evidence of reliability for women (κ = .89, n = 31) and suggestive evidence of reliability for men (n = 7). There were few differences in reliability between standard and extended versions of the questionnaires.

All four questionnaires exhibited good evidence of one-week test-retest reliability when scored continuously. Evidence of reliability was strongest with the populations and constructs most well studied - victimization history among women and perpetration history among men.