William E. Snell

The multidimensional sexuality questionnaire: An objective self-report measure of psychological tendencies associated with human sexuality

The purpose of the present investigation was to develop and validate an objective self-report instrument, the Multidimensional Sexuality Questionnaire (MSQ), designed to measure psychological tendencies associated with sexual relationships. Results indicated that the MSQ subscales had high internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and were largely independent of social desirability tendencies. Other results indicated that women and men responded in unique ways to the MSQ, with women reporting greater sexual-fear and men reporting greater sexual-esteem, sexual-preoccupation, sexual-motivation, sexual-assertiveness, and external-sexual-control. Additional evidence for the concurrent, discriminant, and convergent validity of the MSQ was found: the MSQ was associated not only with womens and mens sexual attitudes and their exchange and communal approaches to sexual relations, but also with their scores on other instruments conceptually similar to the MSQ. Mens and womens sexual behaviors were also predictably related to their scores on the MSQ subscales. The discussion focuses on research and applied uses of the Multidimensional Sexuality Questionnaire.

Reliability and validity of the sexuality scale: a measure of sexual-esteem sexual-depression and sexual-preoccupation.

The Sexuality Scale (SS; Snell & Papini, 1989) was designed to measure sexual‐esteem, (the dispositional tendency to evaluate positively ones capacity to relate sexually to others), sexual‐depression, (the chronic tendency to feel depressed about the sexual aspects of ones life), and sexual‐preoccupation, (the persistent tendency to be absorbed and obsessed with sexual matters). The purpose of the present research was to provide evidence from two separate studies for the reliability and validity of the Sexuality Scale. The results indicated that all three SS subscales had high reliability (both test‐retest and internal consistency). Other findings indicated that the dispositional sexual tendencies measured by the Sexuality Scale were related in predictable ways to mens and womens reports of their sexual behaviors and attitudes.

Alcohol and drug use in stressful times: The influence of the masculine role and sex-related personality attributes

In times of stress, men and women sometimes turn to the use of alcohol and drugs as an avenue for relieving their discomfort and distress. One explanation of this finding implicates traditional male tendencies as predisposing factors. The purpose of the present investigation was to study how the relationship between stress and substance use is moderated (1) by the masculine role, as measured by the Masculine Role Inventory; and (2) by socially desirable and undesirable masculine-instrumental and feminine-expressive personality attributes, as measured by the Extended Personal Attributes Questionnaire. The results indicated that during stressful episodes men characterized by socially undesirable instrumental personality attributes reported using tranquilizers and sedatives. By contrast, it was found that during stressful times, women characterized by success preoccupation reported less use of mind-altering drugs and more use of tranquilizers-sedatives. In addition, it was found that socially desirable expressive attributes served to buffer the impact of stressful experiences on womens use of alcohol.

Willingness to Self-Disclose to Female and Male Friends as a Function of Social Anxiety and Gender

Research indicates that womens and mens willingness to self-disclose to others about themselves varies as a function of the characteristics of the disclosure recipient and the disclosure topic. The present investigation was conducted to examine the self-presentational impact of social anxiety on womens and mens willingness to discuss the instrumental-masculine and expressive-feminine aspects of themselves with their male and female friends. Multivariate results demonstrated that high-social-anxiety women were more willing to discuss expressive-feminine behavioral information with their female friends and less willing to discuss instrumental-masculine behavioral information with their male friends, whereas high-social-anxiety men were more willing to self-disclose about their instrumental-masculine behaviors with their male friends and less willing to self-disclose about their expressive-feminine behaviors with their female friends. These findings suggest that high-social-anxiety males and females may be socialized to view the potential social rewards and costs of self-disclosure differently, thereby affecting their willingness to discuss the instrumental and expressive aspects of themselves with others.

Development and Validation of the Masculine Behavior Scale: A Measure of Behaviors Stereotypically Attributed to Males vs. Females.

The purpose of the present investigation was to develop and validate the Masculine Behavior Scale (MBS), an objective self-report instrument designed to measure four behavioral tendencies stereotypically imputed more to males vs. females: restrictive emotionality, inhibited affection, success dedication, and exaggerated self-reliance. Psychometric analyses confirmed the factorial structure and reliabilities of the subscales on the MBS, and other results provided evidence for the validity of the four MBS subscales. Specifically, it was found that the behavioral measures of success dedication and exaggerated self-reliance were positively correlated with instrumental personality attributes, while restrictive emotionality and inhibited affection behavioral tendencies were negatively correlated with expressive personality attributes. Additional findings indicated that both male and female subjects attributed restrictive emotionality, inhibited affection, success dedication, and exaggerated self-reliance more to males vs. females. However, when males and females were asked to describe themselves, no gender differences emerged for behaviors associated with success dedication and exaggerated self-reliance; females did, however, report engaging in fewer emotionally restricted and affectively inhibited behaviors than did males. The discussion focuses on the distinction between gender-related behavioral tendencies and both gender-related role tendencies and gender-related personality tendencies.The purpose of the present investigation was to develop and validate the Masculine Behavior Scale (MBS), an objective self-report instrument designed to measure four behavioral tendencies stereotypically imputed more to males vs. females: restrictive emotionality, inhibited affection, success dedication, and exaggerated self-reliance. Psychometric analyses confirmed the factorial structure and reliabilities of the subscales on the MBS, and other results provided evidence for the validity of the four MBS subscales. Specifically, it was found that the behavioral measures of success dedication and exaggerated self-reliance were positively correlated with instrumental personality attributes, while restrictive emotionality and inhibited affection behavioral tendencies were negatively correlated with expressive personality attributes. Additional findings indicated that both male and female subjects attributed restrictive emotionality, inhibited affection, success dedication, and exaggerated self-reliance more to males vs. females. However, when males and females were asked to describe themselves, no gender differences emerged for behaviors associated with success dedication and exaggerated self-reliance; females did, however, report engaging in fewer emotionally restricted and affectively inhibited behaviors than did males. The discussion focuses on the distinction between gender-related behavioral tendencies and both gender-related role tendencies and gender-related personality tendencies.

Subclinical ADHD, Stress, and Coping in Romantic Relationships of University Students:

Objective: To examine how the subclinical symptoms of adult ADHD and those of oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD) affect relationship satisfaction and stress and to determine whether different patterns of coping strategies emerge when undergraduates have symptoms of one or both disorders. Method: Participants (N = 497) complete self-report surveys assessing ADHD and ODD symptoms, relationship satisfaction, stress, and coping strategies used in their intimate relationships. Results: ADHD and ODD symptoms are significantly related to a number of stressors and different patterns of coping strategies. University students with symptoms of both ADHD and ODD display a different pattern of stressors and different patterns of coping than those with symptoms of ADHD only. Conclusion: Screenings for both ADHD and ODD and the provision of services that offer students more constructive coping alternatives to deal with stress in their intimate relationships are needed on university campuses.

The clinical anger scale: Preliminary reliability and validity

This article reports preliminary evidence for the development and validation of the Clinical Anger Scale (CAS), an objective self-report instrument designed to measure the syndrome of clinical anger. Factor analysis of the CAS confirmed a unidimensional item structure; reliability analyses also demonstrated adequate internal consistency and test-retest stability for the CAS; other results indicated that the CAS was unrelated to social desirability influences. Additional findings indicated that clinical anger was associated positively with several anger-related concepts (e.g., trait anger, state anger, anger-in, anger-out, anger-control) and that the CAS was related in predictable ways to peoples psychopathological symptoms, personality traits, and early family environments. Implications for future research and therapeutic assessment with the Clinical Anger Scale are discussed.

An Evaluation of Adolescent Patterns of Sexual Self-Disclosure to Parents and Friends:

A study was conducted to examine adolescents sexual self-disclosure to their parents and friends. The sample consisted of 169 senior high school students. The results revealed that adolescents engage in more sexual disclosure with their friends than with their parents. In addition, significantly greater sexual disclosure was reported between adolescents and same-sex, rather than opposite-sex, parent and friend. The only exception to this finding was that no significant differences were reported in male and female sexual self-disclosure to a best female friend. Additional regression analyses revealed that adolescent sexual disclosure to parents was strongly associated with adolescent perceptions of the openess and adaptiveness of the family context. By contrast, sexual disclosure to friends was strongly related to the adolescents emotional individuation from the family. The discussion focuses on sexual socialization during adolescence.

The masculine role as a moderator of stress-distress relationships

Health psychologists often content that men are more vulnerable to the effects of stress than are women. One explanation of this male risk factor deals with the masculine role — the set of values, beliefs, and expectations traditionally associated with mens lives. The present study was conducted to determine whether the restrictive emotionality, success preoccupation, and inhibited affection aspects of the masculine role, measured by the Masculine Role Inventory [MRI; W. E. Snell, Jr., “The Masculine Role Inventory (MRI): Components and Correlates,” Rex Roles, 1986] increase not only mens but also womens vulnerability to the effects of stressful life experiences. The results indicated that among both men and women with a recent history of stressful experiences in their lives, the masculine role was associated with elevated distress.

Development and Validation of the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale

The recent literature on human sexuality emphasizes the importance of sexual communication. The present research reports the results of three studies documenting the development and validation of an instrument concerned with sexual communication, the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale (SSDS). The results in Study I indicated that the twelve SSDS subscales were highly reliable and that women were more willing to discuss the topics on the SSDS with female than male therapists. A second study revealed that mens and womens responses to the SSDS were related in meaningful, predictable ways to their sexual-esteem, sexual-depression and sexual-preoccupation, as measured by the Sexuality Scale. In Study III, the SSDS was revised to include a wider variety of sexual topics dealing with sexual behaviors, values-preferences, attitudes, and feelings. The results from Study III indicated that mens and womens responses to the SSDS-R varied as a function of their own gender and the content of the sexual topics. The discussion focuses on the increased need for communication about sexual issues, the implications of the present findings for intimate relationships, and the possible uses of the Sexual Self-Disclosure Scale in the study of human sexuality.