Investigating Clinically and Scientifically Useful Cut Points on the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory

Michael H. Miner, Nancy Raymond, Eli Coleman, Rebecca Swinburne Romine

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

Introduction One of the major obstacles to conducting epidemiologic research and determining the incidence and prevalence of compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) has been the lack of relevant empirically derived cut points on the various instruments that have been used to measure the concept. Aim To further develop the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory (CSBI) through exploring predictive validity and developing an empirically determined and clinically useful cut point for defining CSB. Methods A sample of 242 men who have sex with men was recruited from various sites in a moderate-size Midwestern city. Participants were assigned to a CSB group or a control group using an interview for the diagnosis that was patterned after the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition. The 22-item CSBI was administered as part of a larger battery of self-report inventories. Main Outcome Measures Receiver operating characteristic analyses were used to compute area-under-the-curve measurements to ascertain the predictive validity of the total scale, the control subscale, and the violence subscale. Cut points were determined through consensus of experts balancing sensitivity and specificity as determined by receiver operating characteristic curves. Results Analyses indicated that the 22-item CSBI was a good predictor of group membership, as was the 13-item control subscale. The violence subscale added little to the predictive accuracy of the instrument; thus, it likely measures something other than CSB. Two relevant cut points were found, one that minimized false negatives and another, more conservative cut point that minimized false positives. Conclusion The CSBI as currently configured measures two different constructions and only the control subscale is helpful in diagnosing CSB. Therefore, we decided to eliminate the violence subscale and move forward with a 13-item scale that we have named the CSBI-13. Two cut points were developed from this revised scale, one that is useful as a clinical screening tool and the other, more conservative measurement that is useful for etiologic and epidemiologic research. Miner MH, Raymond N, Coleman E, Swinburne Romine R. Investigating Clinically and Scientifically Useful Cut Points on the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory. J Sex Med 2017;14:715–720.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)715-720
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Sexual Medicine
Volume14
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2017

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 International Society for Sexual Medicine

Keywords

  • Compulsive Sexual Behavior
  • Cut Points
  • Definitions
  • Hypersexuality
  • Sexual Addiction

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Investigating Clinically and Scientifically Useful Cut Points on the Compulsive Sexual Behavior Inventory'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this