TPC-Digests-V1-Issues-123

A b s t r a c t A pilot 100-item Sexual Orientation Scale was developed after interviewing thirty self-identified gay men who considered themselves happy/satisfied. The items summarized the thoughts and feelings of these 30 men during the dis- covery process and ultimate acceptance of their sexual orientation. The scale was then completed by 208 male participants. The Cronbach’s Alpha Coeffi- cient was calculated for the initial 100-item version of the Sexual Orientation Scale along with item analysis and factor analysis. These statistical manipula- tions were computed to help eliminate items that did not discriminate well. The final version of the Sexual Orientation contains 43 items. January 30th, 2012 Sachin Jain Santiago Silva T he D evelopment of a S exual O rientation S cale for M ales The purpose of the study was to construct an instrument that would help the therapist in assisting clients who wish to explore their sexual orientation. A pilot 100 item Sexual Orientation Scale was developed after interviewing thirty self-identified gay men who identified themselves as happy/satisfied. The items summarized the thoughts and feelings of these 30 men during the discovery process and ultimate acceptance of their sexual orientation. A voluntary sample was sought from a population of men who either were receiving counseling services at a university counseling center, a mental health agency, private sector, or who were students in introductory psychology classes or who were members of men’s groups. The total sample of 208 men from cities in California, Texas, and Wisconsin consisted of 104 gay men and 104 non-gay men as self-identified by the Kinsey Scale. The 100 item version of the Sexual Orientation Scale was submitted to an item analysis, Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient, and a factor analysis. These statistical manipulations were calculated to help eliminate items that did not discriminate well. A factor analysis and an alpha coefficient were performed on the items for the sake TPC Digest Go To Article