Sexual Communication: Assessing the Validity of Three Scales that Reflect In-Person, Text-Based, and Voice Chat-Based...

Sexual communication is a key factor influencing sexuality development, sexual health and well-being, and relationship satisfaction. Existing self-report instruments of frequency of sexual communication between partners miss consideration of communication across multiple channels. As digital media have become an integral part of young adults' sexual lives, there is a need for precise measurements of sexual communication that distinguish online and offline contexts across diverse topics. This study addressed these gaps by developing and validating three self-report sexual communication scales split by modality, measuring sexual communication frequency across in-person, text-based, and voice chat-based channels (e.g., phone call, video chat). In Study 1, exploratory factor analyses (N = 537 U.S. young adults, ages 18-21; 57.17% female, 34.83% male; 49.91% heterosexual) revealed four, four, and three factors for in-person, text-based, and voice chat-based sexual communication, respectively, each representing different sexual communication topics (e.g., sexual desire, initiation, boundaries). Factor structures, internal consistency, and construct and incremental validity were upheld in Study 2 (N = 365 U.S. young adults ages 18-21; M age = 19.87;57.8% female, 38.9% male; 71.2% heterosexual), and the scales were found to be invariant across gender and relationship type. These scales provide a rigorous tool for examining sexual communication topics across channels, offering valuable insights for academic and clinical contexts.