SESAMO
Encyclopedia
SESAMO is the acronym of Sexrelation Evaluation Schedule Assessment Monitoring, is an Italian psychometric and psychological standardised
and validated
questionnaire
(see Tab. 1) to examine single and couple aspect life, sexuality
, interpersonal
and intimate relationship
.
, a female and a male version are available and both are made up of three sections (see Tab. 2):
, affectivity
and relationality (interpersonal
and intimate
relationships).
The questionnaire takes into consideration the following areas (as shown on Tab. 2):
social environmental data, psychosexual identity, sphere of pleasure (sex play, paraphilias
), previous and present masturbation, previous sexual experiences, affective-relational condition, sexual intercourse, imaginative eroticism
, contraception
, relational attitude; additional areas are intended only for subjects with a partner: couple interaction, communicativeness within the sexual sphere, roles within the couple and extrarelational sexuality (i.e. outside couple sexuality).
.
This software analyses and decodes the answers obtained through direct administration on the computer or entered into the computer from printed forms and produces an anamnestic report about the subjects' sexual and relational condition. Once the administration has been completed, the software does not allow the questionnaire and its respective report to be altered or manipulated. This is necessary for deontological
reasons and, above all, to assure its validity in legal appraisals and screenings.
The software processes a report for each questionnaire. Each report can be displayed on the computer monitor or printed out. It is also possible to print out the whole report or its single parts.
It contains the subject's identification data and some directions for using the information in the report properly (interpretations, inferences and indications provided by the report).
It displays a summary of personal data, BMI (Body mass index
), the starting and finishing time of the administration, the time required to fill in the questionnaire, the composition of the household, the present affective-relational condition and off-the-cuff comments from the subject at the end of the administration.
A diagram displays a comparative summary of the scores obtained by the subject in each area of analysis (it could be defined as a snapshot of the subject's sexual-relational condition). The right side of the diagram (displaying positive scores) indicates an hypothesis about the degree of discomfort/dysfunction for each area.
The critical traits
section highlights the most relevant and significative features of the subject's condition and his/her sexual-relational fields. These indications allow to get some relevant hints to be used in prospective in-depth medical, psychological, psychiatric interviews.
It tells in a narrative and detailed way the subject's sexual-relational history, through the explanations and comments he/she made while completing the questionnaire.
It gives some brief indications about those focal points which need to be addressed and carefully considered, besides it suggests prospective specialist examinations and counselling.
This section of the report displays, as well as the topic relative to each question, the indexes of subliminal factors measured on the subject and the significance degree of the answers he/she has chosen for each item.
This section displays all the answers chosen and entered into the computer by the subject while completing the questionnaire; as well as being a documental report (official certificate), it can be used in personalised close examinations and to obtain the open answers entered through the keyboard by the subject.
A clinical research that has used the brief version, expresses this:
Structured interview
A structured interview is a quantitative research method commonly employed in survey research. The aim of this approach is to ensure that each interview is presented with exactly the same questions in the same order...
and validated
Validity (statistics)
In science and statistics, validity has no single agreed definition but generally refers to the extent to which a concept, conclusion or measurement is well-founded and corresponds accurately to the real world. The word "valid" is derived from the Latin validus, meaning strong...
questionnaire
Questionnaire
A questionnaire is a research instrument consisting of a series of questions and other prompts for the purpose of gathering information from respondents. Although they are often designed for statistical analysis of the responses, this is not always the case...
(see Tab. 1) to examine single and couple aspect life, sexuality
Human sexual behavior
Human sexual activities or human sexual practices or human sexual behavior refers to the manner in which humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in a variety of sexual acts from time to time, and for a wide variety of reasons...
, interpersonal
Interpersonal relationship
An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on limerence, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in the...
and intimate relationship
Intimate relationship
An intimate relationship is a particularly close interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Physical intimacy is characterized by romantic or passionate love and attachment, or sexual activity. The term is also sometimes used euphemistically for a sexual...
.
Features
As many others sexological testsSexological testing
Sexuality can be inscribed in a multidimensional model comprising different aspects of human life: biology, reproduction, culture, entertainment, relationships and love....
, a female and a male version are available and both are made up of three sections (see Tab. 2):
- the first section contains items which investigate those areas relating to previous sexuality aspects; the subjects' social, environmental and personal features, health history and their BMI (Body Mass Index). After filling in this first section, all the subjects will be sent to either the second or third subsection depending on their affective-relational condition, which is defined as single condition or couple condition respectively.
- The second section collects all those items whose research areas relate to present sexuality and motivational aspects. This section is intended for single people, i.e. people lacking a stable sexual-affective relationship with a partner.
- The third section includes those areas which investigate the subjects' present sexuality and relational aspects within the couple. This section is intended for the dyadic condition, i. e. a sexual-affective relationship which is going on for at least six months.
Contents
The two versions (male/female) and their subsection (single/couple) of the questionnaire, contain 135 items for male and female single people, and 173 for males and females with a partner respectively. This method allows to detect dysfunctional sexual and relational aspects in singles people and people with a partner, aiming at two main goals:- defining a psychosexual and social-affective profile as an "idiographic imageIdiographic imageIn the field of clinical sciences, an idiographic image is the representation of a result which has been obtained thanks to a study or research method whose subject-matters are specific cases, i.e...
" of the subject ; - putting forward hypotheses about the dysfunctional aspectsSexual dysfunctionSexual dysfunction or sexual malfunction refers to a difficulty experienced by an individual or a couple during any stage of a normal sexual activity, including desire, arousal or orgasm....
in individual and couple sexuality and their causes.
Tab.1 – Cronbach' Alpha
| Cronbach' Alpha SESAMO questionnaire | ||
|---|---|---|
| α | Male | Female |
| Single condition | 0.710 | 0.696 |
| Couple condition | 0.771 | 0.700 |
Assessment
The assessment essentially aims at those areas concerning previous and present sexuality and, at the same time, it takes into consideration all those elements that, even indirectly, could have affected the development, expression and display of personalityPersonality psychology
Personality psychology is a branch of psychology that studies personality and individual differences. Its areas of focus include:* Constructing a coherent picture of the individual and his or her major psychological processes...
, affectivity
Affect (psychology)
Affect refers to the experience of feeling or emotion. Affect is a key part of the process of an organism's interaction with stimuli. The word also refers sometimes to affect display, which is "a facial, vocal, or gestural behavior that serves as an indicator of affect" .The affective domain...
and relationality (interpersonal
Interpersonal relationship
An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on limerence, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in the...
and intimate
Intimate relationship
An intimate relationship is a particularly close interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Physical intimacy is characterized by romantic or passionate love and attachment, or sexual activity. The term is also sometimes used euphemistically for a sexual...
relationships).
The questionnaire takes into consideration the following areas (as shown on Tab. 2):
social environmental data, psychosexual identity, sphere of pleasure (sex play, paraphilias
Paraphilia
Paraphilia is a biomedical term used to describe sexual arousal to objects, situations, or individuals that are not part of normative stimulation and that may cause distress or serious problems for the paraphiliac or persons associated with him or her...
), previous and present masturbation, previous sexual experiences, affective-relational condition, sexual intercourse, imaginative eroticism
Sexual fantasy
A sexual fantasy, also called an erotic fantasy, is a fantasy or pattern of thoughts with the effect of creating or enhancing sexual feelings; in short, it is "almost any mental imagery that is sexually arousing or erotic to [an] individual"...
, contraception
Birth control
Birth control is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Birth control techniques and methods include contraception , contragestion and abortion...
, relational attitude; additional areas are intended only for subjects with a partner: couple interaction, communicativeness within the sexual sphere, roles within the couple and extrarelational sexuality (i.e. outside couple sexuality).
Tab.2 – Domains of the questionnaire
| Domains SESAMO questionnaire | ||
|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 |
| General part | Single condition | Couple condition |
| Social environmental data | Single situation | Couple interaction |
| Body image | Pleasure | Sexual intercourses |
| Psychosexual identity | Sexual intercourses | Present masturbation |
| Desire | Present masturbation | Imaginative eroticism |
| Sphere of pleasure (paraphilias) | Imaginative eroticism | Communicativeness sexual sphere |
| Previous masturbation | Contraception | Roles within the couple |
| Previous sexual experiences | Relational attitude | Extrarelational sexuality |
| Medical anamnesis | — | Sexuality and pregnancy |
| Motivation and conflicts | — | Contraception |
| Total domains | Single condition = 16 domains | Couple condition = 18 domains |
Methodology
The SESAMO Win methodology is provided with a software for administering the questionnaire and creating a multifactorial multilevel evaluation ReportCase Report Form
A Case Report Form is a paper or electronic questionnaire specifically used in clinical trial research. The Case Report Form is the tool used by the sponsor of the clinical trial to collect data from each participating site...
.
This software analyses and decodes the answers obtained through direct administration on the computer or entered into the computer from printed forms and produces an anamnestic report about the subjects' sexual and relational condition. Once the administration has been completed, the software does not allow the questionnaire and its respective report to be altered or manipulated. This is necessary for deontological
Deontological ethics
Deontological ethics or deontology is the normative ethical position that judges the morality of an action based on the action's adherence to a rule or rules. It is sometimes described as "duty" or "obligation" or "rule" -based ethics, because rules "bind you to your duty"...
reasons and, above all, to assure its validity in legal appraisals and screenings.
The software processes a report for each questionnaire. Each report can be displayed on the computer monitor or printed out. It is also possible to print out the whole report or its single parts.
Anamnestic report
The report is divided in 9 parts:- 1. Heading
It contains the subject's identification data and some directions for using the information in the report properly (interpretations, inferences and indications provided by the report).
- 2. Personal data and household
It displays a summary of personal data, BMI (Body mass index
Body mass index
The body mass index , or Quetelet index, is a heuristic proxy for human body fat based on an individual's weight and height. BMI does not actually measure the percentage of body fat. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing...
), the starting and finishing time of the administration, the time required to fill in the questionnaire, the composition of the household, the present affective-relational condition and off-the-cuff comments from the subject at the end of the administration.
- 3. Scoring diagram for each area
A diagram displays a comparative summary of the scores obtained by the subject in each area of analysis (it could be defined as a snapshot of the subject's sexual-relational condition). The right side of the diagram (displaying positive scores) indicates an hypothesis about the degree of discomfort/dysfunction for each area.
- 4. Critical traits
The critical traits
Trait theory
In psychology, Trait theory is a major approach to the study of human personality. Trait theorists are primarily interested in the measurement of traits, which can be defined as habitual patterns of behavior, thought, and emotion. According to this perspective, traits are relatively stable over...
section highlights the most relevant and significative features of the subject's condition and his/her sexual-relational fields. These indications allow to get some relevant hints to be used in prospective in-depth medical, psychological, psychiatric interviews.
- 5. Narrative report
It tells in a narrative and detailed way the subject's sexual-relational history, through the explanations and comments he/she made while completing the questionnaire.
- 6. Further diagnostic examinations and specialist examinations
It gives some brief indications about those focal points which need to be addressed and carefully considered, besides it suggests prospective specialist examinations and counselling.
- 7. Parameters for the items and subliminal indexes
This section of the report displays, as well as the topic relative to each question, the indexes of subliminal factors measured on the subject and the significance degree of the answers he/she has chosen for each item.
- Go-back index (it shows that the subject went back to previous items due to rethinking/rumination);
- Try-jump index (it reveals an attempt to jump or leave out the answer to an item);
- Significance index (or weight) of the answers chosen by the subject for each item;
- Latency time index for each item (measured for each answer);
- Kinetic reaction index of the subject (emotional motility measured for each item).
- 8. The score for each area displays:
- a descriptive heading of the fields of investigation relative to the subject's affective-relational condition (single or couple);
- the number of the omitted answers for each area (this option is activated only when entering the answers into the computer from a paper questionnaire);
- the rough points obtained by the subject for each area;
- the Z scores (standard scores) for each area and their relative percentile ranks.
- 9. Completed questionnaire
This section displays all the answers chosen and entered into the computer by the subject while completing the questionnaire; as well as being a documental report (official certificate), it can be used in personalised close examinations and to obtain the open answers entered through the keyboard by the subject.
Criticism
The disadvantages of this device are the time required for filling in the questionnaire (30-60 minutes) and the fact that the complete report can be elaborated only by the software. A reduced version of the questionnaire has less items but can be administered and scored through the paper and pencil method.A clinical research that has used the brief version, expresses this:
"During follow-up each patient received the SESAMO test (Sexuality Evaluation Schedule Assessment Monitoring) in the standard clinical form, with the end point of tracking down the sexual, affective, and relationship profile of each Htx pts[...] . The SESAMO questionnaire is based on topics relative to male and female sexuality in mates situation. Topics are grouped in two section: the first one collects data on former sexuality, health history, and social behavior; the second one looks at the mate's relationship to show any situation revealing sexual worries. The questionnaire gives values based on a survey of 648 people with characteristics quite similar to the Italian population. The clinical test for mates is based on 81 items for males and 85 items for females. The row score for each topic is modified in standard scores. The exceeding of scores over a specified threshold gives concise information for diagnostic purpose".