Unwanted Childhood Sexual Experiences Questionnaire [UCSEQ]

Description

The Unwanted Childhood Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (UCSEQ) is an assessment instrument developed to document unwanted sexual experiences occurring during childhood. It records the age and extent of unwanted sexual experiences involving adults, defined in the instrument as individuals at least five years older than the respondent.

Purpose

The UCSEQ is designed to document whether specific unwanted sexual experiences occurred and the ages at which they took place. The wording intentionally uses the term unwanted childhood sexual experiences rather than abuse or victimization to reduce potential reporting bias.

Structure

The questionnaire contains 13 items, organized according to the degree of contact:

  • Minimal contact: Items 1–3
  • Moderate contact: Items 4–8
  • Maximal contact: Items 9–13

Respondents indicate the age or ages at which each experience occurred. Completion typically requires less than five minutes.

Scoring

The UCSEQ is not intended to produce a conventional total psychometric score. Instead, it documents the frequency of specific experiences and the ages at which they occurred. Because the items are not intended to constitute a single scale, internal consistency reliability has not been directly assessed.

References

Finkelhor, D. (1979). Sexually Victimized Children. New York: Free Press.

Fromuth, M. E. (1986). The relationship of childhood sexual abuse with later psychological and sexual adjustment in a sample of college women. Child Abuse & Neglect, 10, 5–15.

Stevenson, M. R., & Gajarsky, W. M. (1992). Unwanted childhood sexual experiences relate to later revictimization and male perpetration. Journal of Psychology & Human Sexuality, 4, 57–70.