Design and validation of the sexual affection inventory (SAI-55)

In psychological and sexological research, it is essential to have valid and reliable tools to evaluate various aspects of human sexuality. Sexual affections enable individual well-being and influence interpersonal relationships and social dynamics. However, these aspects of human affectivity have proven difficult to measure comprehensively due to their subjective and dynamic nature. To address this challenge, this study introduces the Sexual Affect Inventory, designed to evaluate key constructs of human sexuality: desire, attraction, and love. This cross-sectional study was validated with 465 participants aged 21 to 65, employing robust psychometric methods. Statistical analyses confirmed the reliability and validity of the inventory, including Bartlett’s test of sphericity (χ² = 17,771.693; p < .001) and a Kaiser‒Meyer‒Olkin measure of .95. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses identified three components (desire, attraction, and love), explaining 51.87% of the total variance, with Cronbach’s alpha values of .96 overall (.94, .96, and .94 for each component). The inventory stands out for integrating these dimensions into a single tool, surpassing existing scales that evaluate these constructs independently. By encompassing the interplay of sexual desire, emotional attraction, and love, the inventory advances understanding in psychological and sexological research. Its percentile-based scoring system further supports nuanced interpretation across diverse demographic contexts. This tool provides a valuable resource for clinicians and researchers by offering a comprehensive and reliable assessment of sexual affects. Its development underscores the importance of multidimensional approaches in evaluating human sexuality, bridging gaps in existing methodologies. Future research should expand its application across diverse populations and explore its utility in therapeutic settings, emphasizing its role in diagnostics and clinical interventions.