ABSTRACT
Research on premarital coital activity has generally focused on incidence, prevalence, and changing trends, with little attention given to the affective aspects of the experience. However, affective variables are an important component of human sexual behavior. The importance of assessing affect to facilitate a better understanding of the relationship between feelings (as predictors or consequences) and sexual behaviors, attitudes, and norms has been highlighted by the findings of several researchers (Byrne, Fisher, Lamberth, & Mitchell, 1974; Schwartz, 1993; Weis, 1983). Scales used by Byrne et al. (1974) and Weis (1983), in their assessment of affect, stimulated the development of the First Coital Affective Reaction Scale (FCARS). The scale was developed as part of a cross-cultural research project comparing first coital experiences of American and Swedish women from an affective, behavioral, and attitudinal perspective (Schwartz, 1993). This scale measures subjects’ (male or female) reported affective reactions to their first coital experience.
