Multidimensional Sexual Self-Concept Questionnaire

1. Abstract

The Multidimensional Sexual Self-Concept Questionnaire (MSSCQ; Snell, 1995) is a comprehensive, 100-item objective self-report assessment designed to evaluate twenty distinct psychological facets of human sexual self-concept. Developed through empirical extensions of earlier psychometric scales—including the Sexuality Scale (Snell & Papini, 1989) and the Multidimensional Sexuality Questionnaire (Snell et al., 1993)—the instrument operationalizes cognitive, affective, motivational, interpersonal, and attributional dimensions of human sexuality. The 20 subscales include: (1) Sexual Anxiety, (2) Sexual Self-Efficacy, (3) Sexual Consciousness, (4) Motivation to Avoid Risky Sex, (5) Chance/Luck Sexual Control, (6) Sexual Preoccupation, (7) Sexual Assertiveness, (8) Sexual Optimism, (9) Sexual Problem Self-Blame, (10) Sexual Monitoring, (11) Sexual Motivation, (12) Sexual Problem Management, (13) Sexual Esteem, (14) Sexual Satisfaction, (15) Power-Other Sexual Control, (16) Sexual Self-Schemata, (17) Fear of Sex, (18) Sexual Problem Prevention, (19) Sexual Depression, and (20) Internal Sexual Control. Administered via a 5-point Likert response format ranging from 0 (not at all characteristic of me) to 4 (very characteristic of me), the MSSCQ exhibits robust internal consistency across all subscales, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging between .72 and .94 in initial validation cohorts ($N = 473$). Significant gender differences and predictive relationships have been established between MSSCQ profiles and critical behavioral outcomes, notably contraceptive adherence, sexual risk-taking, relational adjustment, and psychosexual dysfunction. The instrument remains one of the most exhaustive psychometric inventories available for researchers and clinical practitioners investigating sexual health psychology, behavioral medicine, and intimate relationship dynamics.

2. Keywords

Multidimensional Sexual Self-Concept Questionnaire, MSSCQ, sexual self-concept, sexual self-efficacy, sexual esteem, sexual anxiety, sexual assertiveness, sexual health psychology, psychometrics, William E. Snell Jr., sexual locus of control, risky sexual behavior

3. Authors

The Multidimensional Sexual Self-Concept Questionnaire was conceptualized, operationalized, and psychometrically validated by William E. Snell, Jr., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at Southeast Missouri State University (Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States). Dr. Snell was a pioneering personality and social psychologist whose programmatic research agenda focused on the objective measurement of intimate relationships, gender-role orientations, health-protective behaviors, and human sexuality. Across four decades of scholarship, Snell and his collaborative research teams engineered an array of widely cited psychometric tools, including the Sexuality Scale, the Sexual Awareness Questionnaire, and the Multidimensional Sexuality Questionnaire.

4. Purpose

The primary purpose of the MSSCQ is to provide an empirically grounded, multidimensional framework for measuring the cognitive, emotional, attributional, and behavioral dispositions individuals hold toward their own sexuality. Prior to the design of the MSSCQ, the empirical literature in sexology and personality psychology relied predominantly on unidimensional or narrow-scope measures—such as isolated scales measuring sexual guilt, generalized sexual satisfaction, or coarse behavioral counts. Such instruments routinely failed to capture the intricate interplay between an individual’s personal agency, affective distress, cognitive schemas, and perceived locus of control in sexual domains.

In response to these theoretical and methodological limitations, Snell formulated the MSSCQ to serve both basic research paradigms and applied clinical settings:

• Basic Research in Social and Personality Psychology: The instrument allows investigators to treat sexual self-concept as either an enduring individual difference variable or as a mediator/moderator in complex interpersonal processes. Researchers deploy the MSSCQ to analyze how self-conceptions predict relationship longevity, partner communication, romantic attachment security, and dyadic adjustment.
• Public Health, STI Prevention, and Contraceptive Adherence: Because human sexual risk behaviors are seldom governed purely by rational knowledge, the MSSCQ operationalizes motivational and locus-of-control variables (e.g., Motivation to Avoid Risky Sex, Chance/Luck Sexual Control, Internal Sexual Control). These subscales have proven indispensable in modeling the psychological determinants of barrier contraception compliance, sexually transmitted infection (STI) transmission risks, and unintended pregnancy in emerging adult populations.
• Clinical Assessment of Psychosexual Dysfunctions: In sex therapy and behavioral medicine, clinicians utilize MSSCQ profile elevations—such as heightened Sexual Anxiety, Sexual Depression, or Fear of Sex coupled with depressed Sexual Self-Efficacy or Sexual Assertiveness—to pinpoint cognitive distortions, performance anxieties, and maladaptive attributional styles that perpetuate sexual response cycle disturbances (e.g., hypoactive sexual desire, erectile difficulties, genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder).
• Intervention Design and Evaluation: The granular subscale structure enables researchers evaluating sex-positive educational curricula, relational communication workshops, or cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) for sexual trauma to systematically measure pre-to-post intervention changes across targeted psychological domains.

5. Psychological Construct

The central construct measured by the MSSCQ—sexual self-concept—is defined as an individual’s multidimensional cognitive organization, emotional disposition, and behavioral expectations concerning their own sexuality. Rather than conceptualizing sexual self-worth as a single evaluative index, the MSSCQ partitions the construct into twenty distinct subscales across four macro-level psychological domains: (a) Affective and Evaluative Dimensions, (b) Agentic and Competency Dimensions, (c) Cognitive and Self-Reflective Dimensions, and (d) Attributional and Locus of Control Dimensions.

Affective and Evaluative Dimensions

These subscales assess an individual’s chronic emotional tone and general self-worth regarding their sex life:

• Sexual Anxiety: The dispositional tendency to experience somatic tension, discomfort, and unease regarding sexual aspects of one’s life. Elevated scores denote persistent performance apprehension or generalized dread surrounding sexual situations.
• Sexual Esteem: A generalized positive evaluation of one’s capacity to engage in healthy, enjoyable sexual relationships. It reflects self-worth anchored specifically in sexual identity.
• Sexual Satisfaction: The subjective feeling of contentment and gratification with one’s current sexual fulfillment and sexual experiences.
• Sexual Depression: The chronic experience of dysphoria, sadness, hopelessness, and emotional blunting regarding the quality or absence of one’s sexual experiences.
• Fear of Sex: An acute, phobic or avoidant apprehension focused specifically on engaging in sexual relations with another individual.
• Sexual Optimism: Positive cognitive expectations that future sexual interactions and intimate developments will be satisfying, healthy, and emotionally rewarding.

Agentic, Motivational, and Behavioral Dimensions

These subscales address behavioral readiness, self-advocacy, and preventative sexual health efforts:

• Sexual Self-Efficacy: Grounded in Bandura’s social cognitive theory, this construct measures an individual’s confidence in their execution of behaviors necessary to manage and fulfill their sexual needs.
• Sexual Assertiveness: The willingness and capacity to clearly voice sexual desires, initiate desired activities, negotiate boundaries, and refuse unwanted sexual behaviors.
• Sexual Motivation: The inner drive, behavioral activation, and psychological prioritization of participating in sexual activities and relationships.
• Motivation to Avoid Risky Sex: The explicit intention and conscious desire to steer clear of hazardous sexual practices, such as condomless sex or exposure to STIs.
• Sexual Preoccupation: The tendency to allocate excessive attentional resources toward sex, manifesting as intrusive or continuous thoughts about sexual encounters.

Cognitive and Self-Reflective Dimensions

These subscales operationalize metacognitive reflection and the structure of self-knowledge:

• Sexual Consciousness: The tendency to engage in private introspective self-reflection regarding one’s sexual nature, values, fantasies, and desires.
• Sexual Monitoring: Public self-monitoring focused on sexual impression management; the degree to which an individual remains vigilant about how their sexuality is evaluated by external observers.
• Sexual Self-Schemata: Elaborated cognitive structures organizing self-knowledge about sexual behaviors and sexual partnership, emphasizing the importance of being an effective, connected partner.

Attributional and Locus of Control Dimensions

Adapted from Rotter’s and Levenson’s attribution models, these subscales capture perceived causality and responsibility:

• Internal Sexual Control: The foundational conviction that sexual outcomes and experiences are governed primarily by one’s own voluntary actions and decisions.
• Chance/Luck Sexual Control: The fatalistic attribution that sexual health, opportunities, and incidents are dictated by random fortune, accident, or destiny.
• Power-Other Sexual Control: The belief that external, more influential figures (e.g., romantic partners, peers, societal agents) control one’s sexual experiences.
• Sexual Problem Self-Blame: The tendency to internalize guilt and place total fault upon oneself whenever sexual difficulties, diseases, or conflicts arise.
• Sexual Problem Management: Confidence in one’s personal capability to remediate, cope with, and therapeutically manage sexual problems if they emerge.
• Sexual Problem Prevention: The proactive belief that deliberate lifestyle choices, vigilance, and self-care can successfully preempt the emergence of sexual disorders or complications.

6. Theoretical Framework

The construction of the MSSCQ is situated at the intersection of three major theoretical traditions in contemporary psychological science: (1) Social Cognitive Theory, (2) Attribution and Locus of Control Theory, and (3) Self-Schema Theory.

First, Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory underpins the agentic and outcome-expectancy subscales of the MSSCQ. Bandura postulated that behavioral execution is governed fundamentally by self-efficacy expectancies (the belief in one’s capability to execute behaviors) and outcome expectancies (the anticipation of positive or negative results). In the MSSCQ, Snell operationalized these constructs through Sexual Self-Efficacy, Sexual Problem Management, Sexual Problem Prevention, and Sexual Optimism. Individuals with high sexual self-efficacy are theoretically predicted to approach interpersonal communication with assertiveness and maintain persistent problem-solving behaviors when faced with sexual dysfunction, whereas low self-efficacy predicts avoidance and elevated sexual anxiety.

Second, the instrument directly integrates Julian Rotter’s locus of control paradigm and Hanna Levenson’s multidimensional attribution model. Levenson bifurcated external control into “chance” and “powerful others.” Snell translated this trichotomy into the sexual realm: Internal Sexual Control, Chance/Luck Sexual Control, and Power-Other Sexual Control. According to attributional health models, individuals who attribute sexual health solely to chance or powerful partners are markedly less likely to initiate barrier contraception, discuss STI screening, or engage in active problem-solving during relational conflict, reflecting an externalized health fatalism.

Third, Hazel Markus’s formulation of self-schemata provides the architectural foundation for the cognitive components of the MSSCQ. Sexual self-schemas are cognitive generalizations about the sexual self that derive from past experience, organize and guide the processing of self-relevant sexual stimuli, and influence behavior. The subscales Sexual Self-Schemata, Sexual Consciousness (derived from private self-consciousness), and Sexual Monitoring (derived from Snyder’s self-monitoring paradigm) capture individual differences in the cognitive accessibility, elaboration, and public regulation of sexual information. Collectively, these theoretical foundations converge into an overarching biopsychosocial model: sexual behavior is not viewed merely as a biological drive, but as an intricately regulated psychological script directed by self-beliefs, affective appraisals, and interpersonal goals.

7. Validity

The psychometric validity of the MSSCQ has been established through construct, convergent, discriminant, and criterion-related predictive investigations across diverse empirical settings.

Predictive and Criterion-Related Validity

In his seminal empirical investigation, Snell (1995) validated the MSSCQ against objective, behavioral health-protective criteria, specifically tracking histories of reliable contraceptive adherence among college students. The results revealed profound, theoretically congruent patterns that confirmed criterion validity:

• Male Contraceptive Behavior: Among male participants, reliable and effective contraceptive use was strongly negatively associated with Sexual Anxiety, Chance/Luck Sexual Control, Fear of Sex, and Sexual Depression. Conversely, effective contraception was positively associated with Sexual Self-Efficacy, Sexual Optimism, Sexual Motivation, Sexual Esteem, Sexual Satisfaction, and Sexual Self-Schemata. Men who operated from an internal locus of control and possessed elevated sexual self-confidence were significantly more inclined to consistently use condoms and contraception.
• Female Contraceptive Behavior: Among female participants, sustained effective contraceptive usage correlated negatively with Fear of Sex, Sexual Depression, and surprisingly, Internal Sexual Control (a nuanced finding indicating that highly collaborative dyadic decision-making rather than isolated individual control often governs female contraceptive routines in this demographic). Crucially, female contraceptive adherence correlated positively with Sexual Self-Efficacy, Sexual Assertiveness, Sexual Motivation, Sexual Satisfaction, and Sexual Self-Schemata. Assertive communication was the primary psychosexual driver of protection among women.

Known-Groups Validity and Gender Discrepancies

The MSSCQ has demonstrated robust known-groups validity in distinguishing established gender-differentiated scripts in human sexual behavior (Snell, 1995):

• Males consistently scored significantly higher than females on Chance/Luck Sexual Control, Sexual Preoccupation, Sexual Problem Self-Blame, and Sexual Motivation.
• Females reported significantly higher scores on Motivation to Avoid Risky Sex and Fear of Sex, reflecting heightened vigilance regarding sexual safety, physical vulnerability, and reproductive consequences.

Convergent and Discriminant Validity

Subscales of the MSSCQ exhibit high convergent validity with precursor instruments. For example, MSSCQ Sexual Esteem, Sexual Depression, and Sexual Preoccupation correlate strongly ($r > .70$) with corresponding dimensions on the Sexuality Scale (Snell & Papini, 1989). Similarly, Sexual Consciousness and Sexual Monitoring converge with the Sexual Awareness Questionnaire (Snell et al., 1991). Discriminant validity has been demonstrated through divergent correlations with general (non-sexual) self-esteem (e.g., Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) and generalized neuroticism, confirming that the MSSCQ measures domain-specific psychosexual mechanisms rather than generalized affective distress or global self-worth.

8. Reliability

The internal consistency of the twenty MSSCQ subscales was rigorously quantified in the primary validation cohort by Snell (1995), which comprised $N = 473$ university students (302 females, 170 males, 1 gender unspecified; 85% aged 16–25 years) at a midwestern American university.

Because each of the twenty subscales contains precisely five items, internal consistency coefficients (Cronbach’s alpha) were computed independently for all subscales across the complete sample:

• Subscale 1: Sexual Anxiety ($\alpha = .84$)
• Subscale 2: Sexual Self-Efficacy ($\alpha = .85$)
• Subscale 3: Sexual Consciousness ($\alpha = .78$)
• Subscale 4: Motivation to Avoid Risky Sex ($\alpha = .72$)
• Subscale 5: Chance/Luck Sexual Control ($\alpha = .88$)
• Subscale 6: Sexual Preoccupation ($\alpha = .94$)
• Subscale 7: Sexual Assertiveness ($\alpha = .84$)
• Subscale 8: Sexual Optimism ($\alpha = .78$)
• Subscale 9: Sexual Problem Self-Blame ($\alpha = .84$)
• Subscale 10: Sexual Monitoring ($\alpha = .84$)
• Subscale 11: Sexual Motivation ($\alpha = .89$)
• Subscale 12: Sexual Problem Management ($\alpha = .84$)
• Subscale 13: Sexual Esteem ($\alpha = .88$)
• Subscale 14: Sexual Satisfaction ($\alpha = .91$)
• Subscale 15: Power-Other Sexual Control ($\alpha = .85$)
• Subscale 16: Sexual Self-Schemata ($\alpha = .87$)
• Subscale 17: Fear of Sex ($\alpha = .85$)
• Subscale 18: Sexual Problem Prevention ($\alpha = .85$)
• Subscale 19: Sexual Depression ($\alpha = .85$)
• Subscale 20: Internal Sexual Control ($\alpha = .76$)

All twenty subscales demonstrated internal reliability indices exceeding the standard psychometric threshold of $.70$, with the majority exceeding $.84$. Sexual Preoccupation ($lpha = .94$) and Sexual Satisfaction ($lpha = .91$) showed particularly high internal consistency. Temporal stability analyses conducted in subsequent investigations on related 5-item modular variants established test-retest reliability correlations ranging from $r = .71$ to $r = .86$ across 4- to 6-week assessment intervals, confirming the temporal endurance of sexual self-concept orientations.

9. Factor Analysis

The structural validity of the MSSCQ was developed through sequential exploratory factor analyses (EFA) and confirmed across the iterative development of Snell’s psychosexual instruments (Snell & Papini, 1989; Snell et al., 1991, 1993; Snell, 1995).

In exploratory factor analytic investigations using principal components analysis with varimax and promax rotations, items loaded robustly onto their designated target latent factors. The 20 subscales reflect a balanced, cyclic item design where items are spaced at exact intervals of 20 (e.g., Subscale 1 comprises items 1, 21, 41, 61, 81; Subscale 2 comprises items 2, 22, 42, 62, 82). Factor loadings for target items uniformly exceeded $.50$ across studies, with negligible cross-loadings (rarely exceeding $.25$ on secondary factors).

Higher-order factor analyses have repeatedly revealed that while the 20 subscales maintain sufficient unique variance to warrant independent clinical interpretation, they aggregate into meaningful secondary meta-factors:

1. Positive Sexual Agency & Well-Being: Comprising Sexual Esteem, Sexual Satisfaction, Sexual Optimism, Sexual Self-Efficacy, and Sexual Self-Schemata.
2. Sexual Affective Distress & Avoidance: Comprising Sexual Anxiety, Sexual Depression, and Fear of Sex.
3. External Sexual Fate & Vulnerability: Comprising Chance/Luck Sexual Control, Power-Other Sexual Control, and Sexual Problem Self-Blame.
4. Sexual Introspection & Vigilance: Comprising Sexual Consciousness, Sexual Monitoring, and Motivation to Avoid Risky Sex.

In modern confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) examinations of Snell’s structural instruments, the twenty-factor first-order oblique model demonstrates acceptable fit indices (Comparative Fit Index $[CFI] ge .90$, Tucker-Lewis Index $[TLI] ge .90$, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation $[RMSEA] le .055$), supporting the distinct structural autonomy of the 20 measured constructs.

10. Instrument / Measurement Tool

• Instrument Name: Multidimensional Sexual Self-Concept Questionnaire (MSSCQ)
• Author: William E. Snell, Jr., Ph.D.
• Publication Year: 1995
• Assessment Format: Objective, multi-item, paper-and-pencil or computerized self-report questionnaire
• Total Item Count: 100 core psychometric items (partitioned equally into 20 subscales of 5 items each), supplemented by 1 contextual anchor item (Item 101)
• Administration Time: Approximately 45 to 60 minutes for the complete 100-item inventory
• Response Scale (5-Point Likert Scale):
  • A = 0: Not at all characteristic of me
  • B = 1: Slightly characteristic of me
  • C = 2: Somewhat characteristic of me
  • D = 3: Moderately characteristic of me
  • E = 4: Very characteristic of me
• Reverse-Scored Items (6 items): Items 27, 47, 68, 77, 88, and 97 must be inverted prior to scoring ($4 – \text{raw score}$, such that $0=4, 1=3, 2=2, 3=1, 4=0$).
• Subscale Item Composition:
  • Subscale 1 (Sexual Anxiety): Items 1, 21, 41, 61, 81
  • Subscale 2 (Sexual Self-Efficacy): Items 2, 22, 42, 62, 82
  • Subscale 3 (Sexual Consciousness): Items 3, 23, 43, 63, 83
  • Subscale 4 (Motivation to Avoid Risky Sex): Items 4, 24, 44, 64, 84
  • Subscale 5 (Chance/Luck Sexual Control): Items 5, 25, 45, 65, 85
  • Subscale 6 (Sexual Preoccupation): Items 6, 26, 46, 66, 86
  • Subscale 7 (Sexual Assertiveness): Items 7, 27(R), 47(R), 67, 87
  • Subscale 8 (Sexual Optimism): Items 8, 28, 48, 68(R), 88(R)
  • Subscale 9 (Sexual Problem Self-Blame): Items 9, 29, 49, 69, 89
  • Subscale 10 (Sexual Monitoring): Items 10, 30, 50, 70, 90
  • Subscale 11 (Sexual Motivation): Items 11, 31, 51, 71, 91
  • Subscale 12 (Sexual Problem Management): Items 12, 32, 52, 72, 92
  • Subscale 13 (Sexual Esteem): Items 13, 33, 53, 73, 93
  • Subscale 14 (Sexual Satisfaction): Items 14, 34, 54, 74, 94
  • Subscale 15 (Power-Other Sexual Control): Items 15, 35, 55, 75, 95
  • Subscale 16 (Sexual Self-Schemata): Items 16, 36, 56, 76, 96
  • Subscale 17 (Fear of Sex): Items 17, 37, 57, 77(R), 97(R)
  • Subscale 18 (Sexual Problem Prevention): Items 18, 38, 58, 78, 98
  • Subscale 19 (Sexual Depression): Items 19, 39, 59, 79, 99
  • Subscale 20 (Internal Sexual Control): Items 20, 40, 60, 80, 100
• Scoring Algorithm: Each subscale score is generated by calculating the arithmetic mean of its five constituent items (after reverse coding). Subscale scores range from 0.00 to 4.00, with higher scores reflecting greater levels of that psychological orientation.
• Qualifying Context Item: Item 101 records the relationship context chosen by the participant as a reference point for answering: (A) A current relationship, (B) A past close relationship, or (C) An imagined close relationship.

11. Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Multidimensional Sexual Self-Concept Questionnaire was presented and published by Dr. William E. Snell, Jr. in 1995. In alignment with Dr. Snell’s academic philosophy and commitment to psychometric scholarship, the MSSCQ was placed in the public scientific domain for non-commercial educational and research purposes. Qualified researchers, behavioral scientists, and licensed healthcare clinicians may reproduce, administer, and adapt the scale without incurring licensing fees, provided that appropriate scholarly attribution is accorded in resultant publications. Commercial applications, commercial reproduction, or digital commercial dissemination require formal correspondence and written permission from the copyright holder or Dr. Snell’s designated institutional representatives at Southeast Missouri State University.

12. References

• Fisher, T. D., & Snell, W. E., Jr. (1995). Validation of the Multidimensional Sexuality Questionnaire. Unpublished manuscript, The Ohio University at Mansfield.
• Markus, H. (1977). Self-schemata and processing information about the self. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 35(2), 63–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.35.2.63
• Snell, W. E., Jr. (1995, April). The Extended Multidimensional Sexuality Questionnaire: Measuring psychological tendencies associated with human sexuality. Paper presented at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Psychological Association, Houston, TX.
• Snell, W. E., Jr., Fisher, T. D., & Miller, R. S. (1991). Development of the Sexual Awareness Questionnaire: Components, reliability, and validity. Annals of Sex Research, 4(1), 65–92. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00850117
• Snell, W. E., Jr., Fisher, T. D., & Schuh, T. (1992). Reliability and validity of the Sexuality Scale: A measure of sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccupation. The Journal of Sex Research, 29(2), 261–273. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499209551646
• Snell, W. E., Jr., Fisher, T. D., & Walters, A. S. (1993). The Multidimensional Sexuality Questionnaire: An objective self-report measure of psychological tendencies associated with human sexuality. Annals of Sex Research, 6(1), 27–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00849744
• Snell, W. E., Jr., & Papini, D. R. (1989). The Sexuality Scale: An instrument to measure sexual-esteem, sexual-depression, and sexual-preoccupation. The Journal of Sex Research, 26(2), 256–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224498909551510

13. Items of the Scale (Questionnaire)