Sexual Assertiveness Across Cultures, Genders, and Sexual Orientations: Validation of the Short Sexual Assertiveness Questionnaire (SAQ-9)

doi:10.1177/10731911241312757

Sexual Assertiveness Across Cultures, Genders, and Sexual Orientations: Validation of the Short Sexual Assertiveness Questionnaire (SAQ-9)

Sungkyunkwan University
Eötvös Loránd University
University of Duisburg-Essen
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Gibraltar
Flinders University
Yale University
Jaume I University
University of Montreal
University of Lausanne
University of Hamburg
Lithuanian University of Health Sciences
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
University of Aveiro
University of Valencia
Fuzhou University
Chinese University of Hong Kong
University of Rome La Sapienza
University of Hertfordshire
University of Trento
Auckland University of Technology
Nottingham Trent University
Kyoto University
RIKEN
The University of Osaka
HELP University
Charles University
University of Haifa
Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Polish Academy of Sciences
University of California at San Diego
University of New Mexico
University of Baghdad
Jahangirnagar University
Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia
University of Zagreb
Pavol Jozef Šafárik University
University of Southampton
University of Galway
Hallym University
Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University
National Cheng Kung University
Stellenbosch University
Universidad de Cuenca
Universidad Científica del Sur
James Cook University Queensland
Université d'Artois
Universidad Católica del Maule
Ministerio de Planificación, Chile
Universidad de Tarapacá
Florida State University
KU Leuven
Western University
Universidade de São Paulo
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
Sharda University
SS Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje
University of Cape Town
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
South East Technological University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Sexual assertiveness (SA) is an important concept in understanding sexual well-being and decision-making. However, psychometric evaluation of existing measures of SA in diverse populations is largely lacking, hindering cross-cultural and comparative studies. This study validated the short version of the Sexual Assertiveness Questionnaire (SAQ-9) and examined its measurement invariance across several languages, countries, genders, sexual orientations, and relationship statuses among 65,448 sexually-active adults (M_age = 32.98 years, SD = 12.08, 58% women, 2.74% gender-diverse individuals) taking part in the International Sex Survey. The scale demonstrated adequate psychometric properties. Measurement invariance tests indicated that the SAQ-9 is suitable for comparing individuals from different cultures, genders, sexual orientations, and relationship statuses, and significant group differences were also noted (e.g., gender-diverse individuals reported the highest levels of SA). Findings suggest that the SAQ-9 is a reliable and valid measure of SA and appropriate for use in diverse populations, with specific populations exhibiting varying levels of SA.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	254-274
Number of pages	21
Journal	Assessment
Volume	33
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/10731911241312757
State	Published - Mar 2026

Keywords

International Sex Survey (ISS)
SAQ-9
cross-cultural
gender difference
sexual and gender minorities
sexual assertiveness
validation

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10.1177/10731911241312757

Cite this

@article{31dd772dea2b442596e99dc8925bb193,

title = "Sexual Assertiveness Across Cultures, Genders, and Sexual Orientations: Validation of the Short Sexual Assertiveness Questionnaire (SAQ-9)",

abstract = "Sexual assertiveness (SA) is an important concept in understanding sexual well-being and decision-making. However, psychometric evaluation of existing measures of SA in diverse populations is largely lacking, hindering cross-cultural and comparative studies. This study validated the short version of the Sexual Assertiveness Questionnaire (SAQ-9) and examined its measurement invariance across several languages, countries, genders, sexual orientations, and relationship statuses among 65,448 sexually-active adults (Mage = 32.98 years, SD = 12.08, 58\% women, 2.74\% gender-diverse individuals) taking part in the International Sex Survey. The scale demonstrated adequate psychometric properties. Measurement invariance tests indicated that the SAQ-9 is suitable for comparing individuals from different cultures, genders, sexual orientations, and relationship statuses, and significant group differences were also noted (e.g., gender-diverse individuals reported the highest levels of SA). Findings suggest that the SAQ-9 is a reliable and valid measure of SA and appropriate for use in diverse populations, with specific populations exhibiting varying levels of SA.",

keywords = "International Sex Survey (ISS), SAQ-9, cross-cultural, gender difference, sexual and gender minorities, sexual assertiveness, validation",

author = "L{\'e}na Nagy and M{\'o}nika Ko{\'o}s and Kraus, \{Dr Shane W.\} and Zsolt Demetrovics and Potenza, \{Marc N.\} and Rafael Ballester-Arnal and Dominik Batthy{\'a}ny and Sophie Bergeron and Jo{\"e}l Billieux and Peer Briken and Julius Burkauskas and Georgina C{\'a}rdenas-L{\'o}pez and Joana Carvalho and Jes{\'u}s Castro-Calvo and Lijun Chen and Chen, \{Ji Kang\} and Giacomo Ciocca and Ornella Corazza and Rita Csako and Fernandez, \{David P.\} and Hironobu Fujiwara and Fernandez, \{Elaine F.\} and Johannes Fuss and Roman Gabrhel{\'i}k and Ateret Gewirtz-Meydan and Biljana Gjoneska and Mateusz Gola and Grubbs, \{Joshua B.\} and Hashim, \{Hashim T.\} and Islam, \{Md Saiful\} and Mustafa Ismail and Jim{\'e}nez-Mart{\'i}nez, \{Martha C.\} and Tanja Jurin and Ondrej Kalina and Verena Klein and Andr{\'a}s K{\"o}lt{\H o} and Lee, \{Sang Kyu\} and Karol Lewczuk and Lin, \{Chung Ying\} and Christine Lochner and Silvia L{\'o}pez-Alvarado and Kate{\v r}ina Lukavsk{\'a} and Percy Mayta-Trist{\'a}n and Miller, \{Dan J.\} and O{\u l}ga Orosov{\'a} and G{\'a}bor Orosz and Ponce, \{Fernando P.\} and Quintana, \{Gonzalo R.\} and \{Quintero Garzola\}, \{Gabriel C.\} and Jano Ramos-Diaz",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2025",

year = "2026",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1177/10731911241312757",

language = "English",

volume = "33",

pages = "254--274",

number = "2",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Sexual Assertiveness Across Cultures, Genders, and Sexual Orientations

T2 - Validation of the Short Sexual Assertiveness Questionnaire (SAQ-9)

AU - Nagy, Léna

AU - Koós, Mónika

AU - Kraus, Dr Shane W.

AU - Demetrovics, Zsolt

AU - Potenza, Marc N.

AU - Ballester-Arnal, Rafael

AU - Batthyány, Dominik

AU - Bergeron, Sophie

AU - Billieux, Joël

AU - Briken, Peer

AU - Burkauskas, Julius

AU - Cárdenas-López, Georgina

AU - Carvalho, Joana

AU - Castro-Calvo, Jesús

AU - Chen, Lijun

AU - Chen, Ji Kang

AU - Ciocca, Giacomo

AU - Corazza, Ornella

AU - Csako, Rita

AU - Fernandez, David P.

AU - Fujiwara, Hironobu

AU - Fernandez, Elaine F.

AU - Fuss, Johannes

AU - Gabrhelík, Roman

AU - Gewirtz-Meydan, Ateret

AU - Gjoneska, Biljana

AU - Gola, Mateusz

AU - Grubbs, Joshua B.

AU - Hashim, Hashim T.

AU - Islam, Md Saiful

AU - Ismail, Mustafa

AU - Jiménez-Martínez, Martha C.

AU - Jurin, Tanja

AU - Kalina, Ondrej

AU - Klein, Verena

AU - Költő, András

AU - Lee, Sang Kyu

AU - Lewczuk, Karol

AU - Lin, Chung Ying

AU - Lochner, Christine

AU - López-Alvarado, Silvia

AU - Lukavská, Kateřina

AU - Mayta-Tristán, Percy

AU - Miller, Dan J.

AU - Orosová, Ol̆ga

AU - Orosz, Gábor

AU - Ponce, Fernando P.

AU - Quintana, Gonzalo R.

AU - Quintero Garzola, Gabriel C.

AU - Ramos-Diaz, Jano

PY - 2026/3

Y1 - 2026/3

N2 - Sexual assertiveness (SA) is an important concept in understanding sexual well-being and decision-making. However, psychometric evaluation of existing measures of SA in diverse populations is largely lacking, hindering cross-cultural and comparative studies. This study validated the short version of the Sexual Assertiveness Questionnaire (SAQ-9) and examined its measurement invariance across several languages, countries, genders, sexual orientations, and relationship statuses among 65,448 sexually-active adults (Mage = 32.98 years, SD = 12.08, 58% women, 2.74% gender-diverse individuals) taking part in the International Sex Survey. The scale demonstrated adequate psychometric properties. Measurement invariance tests indicated that the SAQ-9 is suitable for comparing individuals from different cultures, genders, sexual orientations, and relationship statuses, and significant group differences were also noted (e.g., gender-diverse individuals reported the highest levels of SA). Findings suggest that the SAQ-9 is a reliable and valid measure of SA and appropriate for use in diverse populations, with specific populations exhibiting varying levels of SA.

AB - Sexual assertiveness (SA) is an important concept in understanding sexual well-being and decision-making. However, psychometric evaluation of existing measures of SA in diverse populations is largely lacking, hindering cross-cultural and comparative studies. This study validated the short version of the Sexual Assertiveness Questionnaire (SAQ-9) and examined its measurement invariance across several languages, countries, genders, sexual orientations, and relationship statuses among 65,448 sexually-active adults (Mage = 32.98 years, SD = 12.08, 58% women, 2.74% gender-diverse individuals) taking part in the International Sex Survey. The scale demonstrated adequate psychometric properties. Measurement invariance tests indicated that the SAQ-9 is suitable for comparing individuals from different cultures, genders, sexual orientations, and relationship statuses, and significant group differences were also noted (e.g., gender-diverse individuals reported the highest levels of SA). Findings suggest that the SAQ-9 is a reliable and valid measure of SA and appropriate for use in diverse populations, with specific populations exhibiting varying levels of SA.

KW - International Sex Survey (ISS)

KW - SAQ-9

KW - cross-cultural

KW - gender difference

KW - sexual and gender minorities

KW - sexual assertiveness

KW - validation

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105008200734

U2 - 10.1177/10731911241312757

DO - 10.1177/10731911241312757

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105008200734

SN - 1073-1911

VL - 33

SP - 254

EP - 274

JO - Assessment

JF - Assessment

IS - 2

ER -

Sexual Assertiveness Across Cultures, Genders, and Sexual Orientations: Validation of the Short Sexual Assertiveness Questionnaire (SAQ-9)

Abstract

Keywords

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