Description

The Unwanted Childhood Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (UCSEQ) is a psychometric tool designed to assess and record unwanted sexual experiences that individuals may have encountered during childhood. The questionnaire is often used in research contexts to understand the extent and impact of such experiences on mental health and individual development. Below is a detailed description of the objectives, analysis, and scoring of the scale, along with relevant literature.

Objective

The main objectives of the Unwanted Childhood Sexual Experiences Questionnaire are:
Assessment of the extent of experiences: Recording the type and frequency of unwanted sexual experiences in childhood.
Understanding the impacts: Examining the influence of these experiences on mental health, behavior, and social development.
Development of intervention strategies: Providing data to create prevention and support programs for victims of such experiences.

Analysis

The UCSEQ consists of a series of questions covering various aspects of unwanted sexual experiences:
Nature of experiences: Questions describing the type of experiences (e.g., inappropriate contact, exploitation).
Frequency: Assessment of how often these experiences occurred.
Circumstances: Recording the context and conditions under which the experiences occurred (e.g., location, presence of others).
Emotional reaction: Examination of the emotional responses caused by the experiences, such as fear, shame, or confusion.
Participants are asked to respond to questions using a Likert scale to describe the frequency and intensity of the experiences and emotional reactions.

Scoring

Scoring of the UCSEQ includes:
Total score: An overall estimate of the extent of unwanted experiences.
Subscales: Scores for various dimensions, such as nature, frequency, and emotional reaction.
These scores are used to identify individuals who may need psychological support and to develop targeted interventions.

References

Finkelhor, D., Shattuck, A., Turner, H. A., & Hamby, S. L. (2014). The Lifetime Prevalence of Child Sexual Abuse and Sexual Assault Assessed in Late Adolescence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 55(3), 329–333.
Briere, J., & Elliott, D. M. (2003). Prevalence and Psychological Sequelae of Self-Reported Childhood Physical and Sexual Abuse in a General Population Sample of Men and Women. Child Abuse & Neglect, 27(10), 1205–1222.
Kendall-Tackett, K. A., Williams, L. M., & Finkelhor, D. (1993). Impact of Sexual Abuse on Children: A Review and Synthesis of Recent Empirical Studies. Psychological Bulletin, 113(1), 164–180.