Validation of a Scale to Assess Attitude Towards Infi delity Among Married Mexicans from Monterrey

Abstract

It has been proposed that an attitude of rejection toward infi delity acts as a protective factor from extradyadic sex, which can have negative eff ects for the stability of the couple. The Attitude Toward Marital Exclusivity Scale (ATMES) is a brief instrument, used in research, but it is not validated in Mexico. The objectives of this article were to validate the ATMES, and to contrast a model to predict sexual infi delity. A random-route sampling was used. A questionnaire composed of four scales was administered to 727 Mexican married persons (52.8% women and 47.2% men). The internal consistency of ATMES was excellent, the distribution of ATMES scores showed positive asymmetry, and the one-factor model was validated. A model, in which the desire for sexual infi delity predicts sexual infi delity, the desire for sexual infi delity is predicted by attitude toward infi delity, marital satisfaction and sexual sensation seeking and these last two correlated variables predict attitude toward infi delity, had a good fi t to the data, and was valid for both sexes. It is concluded that ATMES is a consistent, one-dimensional measure, that shows evidence of construct validity.