TPC-Journal-V1-Issue3

218 The Professional Counselor \ Volume 1, Issue 1 32. I sometimes want sex with another male but am afraid to do so or to ask. .509 -.374 .284 .599 90. I am afraid I might be gay. .348 -.352 .257 .539 31. I am jealous of other male friendships. .307 -.296 .000 .537 81. I sometimes fear my reactions to other men will betray me. .454 -.403 .286 .520 Variance Explained 13.975 9.890 6.649 4.421 It is vital to note that the four factors identified via the factor analysis represented those themes continually found in sexual orientation literature. Cass (1979 & 1984), Grace (1979) and Coleman (1982) consistently addressed the importance of examining the variables of self-images and eroticism during the discovery process of one’s sexual orientation. All these factors are clearly identified in the 43 items in the four-factor solution done on the final version of the Sexual Orientation Scale. Reliability A Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was performed in order to establish the reliability of the final 43-item version of the Sexual Orientation Scale. An alpha coefficient was done on the overall sample (N=205), the straight sample (N=103), and the gay sample (N=102). The overall sample has an N of 208. Three completed scales (1 straight respondent and 2 gay respondents) were eliminated because they did not complete the initial 100 items. The alphas for the 43-item version were 0.93 for the overall sample, 0.72 for the straight sample and 0.65 for the gay sample. Construct-Related Validity Internal consistency is a procedure used to establish construct validity. A statistical procedure used in this study to establish internal consistency was Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient; this statistic also was used to establish instrument reliability (Miller, 1987). Table 4 shows the alphas which clearly exhibit the homogeneity for the items on the Sexual Orientation Scale. A factor analysis was performed on the 45 items to identify the prevalent factors. After the factor analysis was done, four factors were identified as the most important factors that need to be examined when struggling with the uncovering discovery process of an individual’s sexual orientation. They are Attraction to Same Sex, Attraction to Opposite Sex, Self-Acceptance of Gay Behavior/Attitudes, and Fears. The items and other data on each factor are summarized in the following table. Normative data also was generated on the overall sample, the gay sample, and the straight sample. This was done for interpretation purposes. Table 4 summarizes the established normative data. Table 4 Normative Data on 208 Subjects of the Sexual Orientation Study Subjects M Mdn SD Obtained Low Scores Obtained High Scores KR-20 Gay 47.28 47.90 4.61 36 62 .519 Straights 81.35 83.30 10.61 51 95 .894 Overall Sample 64.31 56.30 18.92 36 95 .954