This study involves the initial validation of the Sexual Inhibition & Sexual Excitation Scales (SIS/SES) in Italy. A total of 947 men (mean age = 24.74 years, SD = 5.29) and 1083 women (mean age = 22.49 years, SD = 4.08) participated in the study. The sample was recruited in three different regions: 43% of the sample lived in Padova, 27.3% in Firenze and 29.5% in Lecce.

To examine the factor structure of the SIS/SES a second-order confirmatory factor analysis was performed, excluding the SIS1_2 subscale, which had to be excluded from the analysis to improve the goodness of fit of the model. Assessment of fit was based on several indices. Since the chi-square statistic is dependent on sample size and not uncommonly significant, we considered two relative fit indices, the NNFI (Non-Normed Fit Index) and the CFI (Comparative Fit Index), which are appropriate for use with both small and large samples. The Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) was also used. This is an absolute fit index assessing approximation of parameter estimates to true parameters in the population.

Most indices (NNFI = .94; CFI = .95; RMSEA = .053) pointed to an acceptable fit of the observed data, having NNFI and CFI above .90, and RMSEA below .08 (Bentler, 1990; Browne, 1990).

These results support the hierarchical factor structure, involving one excitation and two inhibition factors, of the Italian SIS/SES.