Assessment of Clinical Sexual Behavior Inventory Reports from Youth Referred to Community Treatment: Measurement Challenges and Directions

There is a critical need for developmentally sensitive and psychometrically sound tools to assess problematic sexual behavior (PSB) in youth. In this commentary, we illustrate the limitations of one measure, the Adolescent Clinical Sexual Behavior Inventory (ACSBI), as applied to a sample of 236 male youth referred by the juvenile court for treatment of PSB. Using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) as a lens, we report results (e.g. distributions, factor analysis) that demonstrate the measure's structural and conceptual shortcomings with this population. To highlight implications for clinical and research practice, we discuss method differences among studies examining the ACSBI, the clinical use of these items, and directions for measure development to assess PSB in youth.