Psychometric validation of the Italian version of the Orgasm Rating Scale in solitary and dyadic contexts

The orgasm is the least understood of all sexual responses (Mah & Binik, 2001). This absence of specific research is also due to the lack of standardised measures for these aspects in the literature (Mah e Binik., 2005). In response, Mah and Binik developed the Orgasm Rating Scale (ORS), a psychometric tool based on theory for evaluating the subjective experience of orgasm (Mah and Binik, 2005). A new, shorter version of this instrument has been validated on Spanish samples (Cervilla et al., 2022; Arcos-Romero et al., 2018). This study aims to examine the psychometric properties of the shorter version of the ORS in solitary masturbation and sexual intercourse contexts among an Italian sample. The sample consisted of 686 women and 309 men aged 18–66 (M = 27.6, SD = 9.3), who completed a sociodemographic survey and the following questionnaires: the Orgasm Rating Scale for both solitary masturbation and sexual intercourse, the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX, McGahuey et al., 2011), and the Orgasm Perception Questionnaire (OPQ, Panzeri, Mauro, Ronconi, Arcos-Romero., 2023). A four-dimensional structure was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. The Italian version of the ORS has adequate reliability values ranging from .68 to .98 in the masturbation context and from .78 to .97 in the relationship context. In conclusion, the ORS is a reliable and valid multidimensional tool for measuring subjective experiences of orgasm during solitary masturbation and sexual intercourse.