Sexual Shame Inventory (SSI)
Background
The Sexual Shame Inventory (SSI) is a psychological assessment tool designed to measure the specific, localized feelings of shame related to sexuality, such as body image, sexual desire, and intimate relationships. Domain-specific sexual shame is heavily linked to negative outcomes in sexual well-being, including lower sexual assertiveness, communication issues, and sexual dysfunction. The inventory helps clinicians and researchers isolate feelings directly tied to a person's sexual identity and behaviors.
The inventory was developed by Jyssica Seebeck for her doctoral dissertation in 2021. It contains 10 self-report questions assessing sexual shame on three subscales:
- Sexual Inferiority: Distress, anxiety, or worry about one's body and ability to meet perceived sexual standards
- Relational Sexual Shame: Fear or anxiety regarding sharing intimate sexual thoughts or vulnerabilities with a partner.
- Internalized Sexual Shame: Negative beliefs and judgmental thoughts about one's own sexual history, thoughts, or desires.
The 10-item scale demonstrates good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.76 to 0.86) across the scale and its subscales.
Task Procedure
Participants are asked to rate their agreement with 10 questions such as "I feel bad about how many sexual experiences I’ve had." The 6 response anchors for the questions range from 'Strongly Disagree' (1 point) to 'Strongly Agree' (6 points) with higher scores showing higher levels of shame. The inventory does not contain any reversed-scored items.
What it Measures
The Sexual Shame Inventory (SSI) measures sexual shame.
Psychological domains
- Self-Esteem: Overall subjective evaluation of one's own worth or value
- Rumination: Tendency to dwell on negative emotions and distress
- Sexual Dysfunction: Biological well-being, correlating with lower sexual arousal, desire difficulties, and performance anxiety
- Fear of Intimacy: Defensive avoidance of deep emotional exposure
Main Performance Metrics
- Total: Sum of all question scores (higher rating indicates subjective higher sexual shame)
- Subscale Scores: score for each subscale
Psychiatric Conditions
the Sexual Shame Inventory (SSI) is used with patients, primarily in sex therapy, trauma informed counseling, and clinical psychopathology research.
The SSI by Seebeck (2021) is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure domain-specific feelings of shame regarding one's sexuality.
References
Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Sexual Shame Inventory (SSI).
Seebeck, J. (2021). Development of the Sexual Shame Inventory (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Seattle Pacific University Digital Commons.
Sævik, K. W., & Konijnenberg, C. (2023). The effects of sexual shame, emotion regulation and gender on sexual desire. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 4001. Nature Portfolio / Scientific Reports.
Yahagh, M., Abdolpour, G., Lashkari, A., & Rezai Gharezyaadin, M. (2024). Sexual functioning in women based on sexual shame and sexual dysfunctional beliefs. Journal of Research in Psychopathology, 8(1), 52-59. The Journal of Research in Psychopathology.
Coates, A. G. C., & Meston, C. M. (2025). The role of purity culture in sexual wellbeing. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 22(Supplement_1), qdaf068.049. The Journal of Sexual Medicine