Exploring the Dimensions and Dynamics of Partnered Sexual Behaviours: Scale Development and Validation Using Factor and Network Analysis
Abstract
Sexual behaviours are an integral part of most intimate relationships and can serve as mechanisms for building intimacy, enhancing emotional connection, and can serve as non-verbal communication to express care, love, and compassion for significant others. Sexually compatible behaviours are also associated with sexual satisfaction – something especially important given the downstream consequences of sexual satisfaction on relationship satisfaction, relationship stability, and general well-being. However, to date, no inclusive, psychometrically validated measure of partnered sexual interests and behaviours exists. Given the central role of sexual interests and behaviours in sexual satisfaction and in turn relationship quality, we sought to develop and validate a diverse and inclusive measure of partnered sexual interests and behaviours. We found the network psychometrics approach using Exploratory Graph Analysis and Unique Variable Analysis to be more inclusive and better suited to modelling the complexity of concrete item-level partnered sexual interests and behaviours in comparison to traditional factor analytic approaches.