Development and Validation of the Maternal and Partner Sex During Pregnancy Scales

Sofia Jawed-Wessel, Debby Herbenick, Vanessa Schick, J. Dennis Fortenberry, Georg’Ann Cattelona, Michael Reece

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Little is known about current attitudes in the United States toward having sex during pregnancy. It is possible that pregnant women and their sexual partners hold beliefs and have feelings during this time that might lead to sexual and relational distress. Two new scales, Maternal Sex During Pregnancy and Partner Sex During Pregnancy, were developed and administered to 112 newly pregnant couples. The scales demonstrated strong reliability and validity. Attitudes and beliefs varied across the sample, but the scores did not significantly differ between partners. These scales allow clinicians to support healthy sexuality during pregnancy by understanding sources of anxiety and possible misconceptions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)681-701
Number of pages21
JournalJournal of Sex and Marital Therapy
Volume42
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 16 2016

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology

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