NCJ Number
210050
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 19 Issue: 5 Dated: October 2004 Pages: 541-556
Date Published
October 2004
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article details the development and initial validation of the Sexual Coercion in Intimate Relationships Scale (SCIRS), a measure which assesses the prevalence and severity of sexual coercion in committed intimate relationships.
Abstract
The Sexual Coercion in Intimate Relationships Scale (SCIRS) was developed to address some of the limitations of existing measures of intimate relationship sexual coercion. The SCIRS addresses the use of psychological and behavioral tactics of sexual coercion, such as threats, physical violence, persistence, and manipulation. This article reports on the development and initial validation of the SCIRS. The article begins by reviewing the existing measures of sexual coercion and their limitations. It continues with a description of the development of SCIRS, performs a principal components analysis, and describes the resulting three principal components. The analysis shows that the SCIRS appears to be a valid and reliable assessment of sexual coercion in an intimate relationship. The analysis suggests that the SCIRS secures reliable assessments of both men’s self-reported sexually coercive behavior and women’s reports of their intimate partner’s sexually coercive behavior. In summary, the SCIRS was developed to address several methodological concerns of existing measures of sexual coercion. The results of the research provide preliminary evidence that SCIRS is a valid and reliable measure of sexual coercion in relationships. Tables and references