Editorial Comment

Alpha Psychiatry 2022;23(6):292-293

DOI: 10.5152/alphapsychiatry.2022.20112022

Commentary: Reliability and Validity Study of the Turkish Version of the Perceptions of Love and Sex Scale

Ng Chong Guan

Chow Soon Ken

Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Malaya Faculty of Medicine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Corresponding author: Ng Chong Guan ✉ chong_guan@um.edu.my

Cite this article as: Guan NC, Ken CS. Commentary: Reliability and validity study of the Turkish version of the perceptions of love and sex scale. Alpha Psychiatry. 2022;23(6):292-293.

Love and sex have been allied for centuries, in various fraternities such as drama, poetry and literature, while being debated by sociologists and philosophers – whether the two are interrelated. The development of Perception of Love and Sex Scale (PLSS) was aimed to examine the correlation between love and sex,¹ and possibly aiding in assessment and treatment of distressed couples whom relationship is at stake. Couple relationship could be threatened by numerous factors such as infidelity, newborn, or grave illness of one of the partner, and hence, evaluation of love and sex might help, in the process of psychotherapy.¹

In the current issue of Alpha Psychiatry, by Fahriye Balkir et al. examined the psychometric properties of Turkish version of PLSS. The study investigated the validity and reliability of the translated scale via purposive sampling of 384 adults. The scale demonstrated an outstanding degree of validity and reliability, which were aligned with previous data.¹,²,³ Factor analysis revealed the maintenance of a 4-factor model, which was congruent to the original scale developed by Hendrick et al. The study utilized an array of tests and subtests, which were delineated unambiguously to the readers, to enhance the accuracy of the study.

Minor incongruency was present – whereby the translated scale settled with a 15-item model rather than the original 17-item scale, due to difficulties with factor loading during analysis. Two of the items (Question 2 and 13), in the scale were removed, interestingly, belonged to the subscales of “love is most important" and “love comes before sex" respectively. Possible explanation might include linguistic challenges, biases, and cultural differences, especially in the perception of love by the Turkish community. However, the said minor differences did not impede the overall validity and reliability of the translated scale.

In my opinion, the authors had put in extensive efforts in the study and generated consistent results to support the use of Turkish version of PLSS. Fahriye Balkir et al are to be respected for invigorating the research on love and sex in Turkey. Turkey differs from the Western society in terms of sociocultural aspects, specifically romantic relationships, but in the process of westernization.⁴ The research on love and sex could stimulate the winds of change – enabling couples to speak up the most intimate difficulties faced in relationships.

In addition, sexual dysfunction in Turkey has been prevalent for both genders.⁵,⁶ The application of PLSS in Turkish community might help couples in realizing and solving the challenges faced in romantic or sexual relationship, by utilizing the scale in psychotherapy or couple therapy. My suggestions on future research could include not only a larger sample size, but striking a balance in gender, marital status, educational and economical background to further enhance the generalizability of the scale.

References

  1. Hendrick, SS, & Hendrick, C. (2002). Linking romantic love with sex: development of the perceptions of love and sex scale. J Soc Personal Relat, 19(3), 361-378, (https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407502193004).

  2. Kordoutis, P, Daoultzis, KC, Argyroudi, A, & Masoura, E. (2021). Perceptions of Love and Sex in Young and Middle Greek Adults, Relationship Satisfaction and Duration.

  3. Neto, F. (2012). Perceptions of love and sex across the adult life span. J Soc Personal Relat, 29(6), 760-775, (https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407512443638).

  4. Medora, NP, Larson, JH, Hortaçsu, N, & Dave, P. (2002). Perceived attitudes towards romanticism; a cross-cultural study of American, Asian-Indian, and Turkish young adults. J Comp Fam Stud, 33(2), 155-178, (https://doi.org/10.3138/jcfs.33.2.155).

  5. Çayan, S, Akbay, E, Bozlu, M, Canpolat, B, Acar, D, & Ulusoy, E. (2004). The prevalence of female sexual dysfunction and potential risk factors that may impair sexual function in Turkish women. Urol Int, 72(1), 52-57, (https://doi.org/10.1159/000075273).

  6. Çayan, S, Kendirci, M, & Yaman, Ö. (2017). Prevalence of erectile dysfunction in men over 40 years of age in Turkey: results from the Turkish Society of Andrology Male Sexual Health Study Group. Turk J Urol, 43(2), 129, (https://doi.org/10.5152/tud.2017.24886).

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