Orgasm is characterized by an experience of intense pleasure, accompanied by psycho-physiological responses that, as a result of sexual activity, culminate in a feeling of well-being. Therefore, it is a clear indicator of a pleasurable and healthy sexuality.
The Orgasm Rating Scale (ORS) assesses the subjective experience of orgasm. It was recently adapted to the Spanish population in the context of solitary masturbation by Óscar Cervilla, Carmen Gómez Berrocal and Juan Carlos Sierra, researchers at CIMCYC, with the collaboration of Pablo Vallejo-Medina and Denis de la Torre.
To this end, 2595 heterosexual Spanish adults aged 18-83 years (1171 men and 1424 women) participated in the study. They completed the ORS in the solitary masturbation context along with other scales to assess sexual attitudes, solitary sexual desire, propensity for sexual arousal/inhibition, and sexual functioning.
The results confirm a four-dimensional structure (affective, sensory, intimacy and reward) in the ORS in the solitary masturbation context, as previously demonstrated in the context of sexual intercourse.
Significant correlations were obtained between the four dimensions of the ORS and sexual attitudes and solitary sexual desire, but weak correlations with propensity for sexual arousal/inhibition. In addition, comparison of ORS scores in the solitary masturbation context between persons with/without difficulties with orgasm in sexual intercourse indicated significant differences for the affective, intimate, and reward dimensions.
The measures obtained with the ORS in the context of masturbation are invariant by sex and age. Its dimensions show adequate internal consistency, discriminate between people with and without orgasmic difficulties and are related to similar variables, making it a reliable and valid multidimensional measure of the subjective experience of orgasm in the context of solitary masturbation.
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Full reference
Cervilla, O., Vallejo-Medina, P., Gómez-Berrocal, C., de la Torre, D., & Sierra, J. C. (2022). Validation of the Orgasm Rating Scale in the Context of Masturbation. Psicothema, 34, 1, 151-159. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2021.223