Validation of the French version of the Sexual Motivation Scale (SexMS-Fr).

OBJECTIVES: Sexual motivations can be defined as the internal and external forces leading to an individual's engagement in sexual behaviors. To understand these motivations it may be useful to develop reliable assessment tools. The first aim of the present research was to develop and validate a French version of the Sexual Motivation Scale (SexMS-Fr) by testing its psychometric qualities. The second aim was to identify motivational specific factors among participants with and without sexual addiction. METHODS: One hundred seventy-four voluntary participants completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the SexMS-Fr (sexual motivations) and the SAST-Fr (sexual addiction). We tested the psychometric properties and reliability of the SexMS-Fr through exploratory factor analysis. We also performed construct validity analysis on the one hand and comparison analysis for participants with and without sexual addiction on the other. RESULTS: Our results indicated a six-factor structure of the SexMS-Fr subscales explaining 61.9% of the total variance and good to excellent internal consistency. We also found that the psychometric properties of the French version of the SexMS were comparable to those of the original English version, with a six-factor structure. Finally, the intrinsic motivation, identified regulation, and amotivation dimensions were significantly different between participants with or without addictive sexual behaviors. CONCLUSION: The SexMS-Fr is a reliable, valid scale for assessing sexual motivation and detecting differential associations between sexual motivation and sexual addiction.