A Desert Rose
Simply Charming Elsewhere
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2002
- Posts
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Or maybe I aced it. Guess it depends on one's perspective.
ONLINE SEXUAL ADDICTION QUESTIONNAIRE (OSA-Q)
Dana E. Putnam, Ph.D.
The OSA-Q was developed to help people to identify if they might be having a problem with their online sexual behavior. The OSA-Q is a 24-item questionnaire that was developed based on signs and symptoms of sexual addiction and how they might appear in relation to online sexual behavior. It is important to note that the questionnaire is not a psychological test; it has not been researched and its psychometric properties are currently unknown (i.e., reliability and validity). At the present time the OSA-Q is only a self-exploration tool. Individuals who use the OSA-Q that think they have a problem with sexual addiction are referred to seek a state licensed psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of sexual problems.
The following questions refer to any sexual activity that one may engage in online. The questions should be answered in relation to any sexual material or encounters one might be involved with online, including via chat, email, bbs, pictures, audio, and video.
Do you spend more time than you intend to with sexual material on the Internet?
yes no
Have you ever been caught looking at sexual material on your computer?
yes no
Have you told yourself that you would stop your sexual behavior on the Internet, then broken that resolution?
yes no
Do you ever get upset with yourself for wasting too much time searching for sex or sexual material on the Internet?
yes no
Do you ever masturbate at the computer while looking at online pornography or while engaging in online sexual behavior with others?
yes no
Do you need sexual images or interpersonal sexual contacts that are increasingly more graphic that those viewed or experienced before to attain the same level of sexual excitement?
yes no
Do you lose interest in previously viewed pornography or in previous online sexual partners and need to find new sexual material or contacts to get the same level of sexual excitement as in the past?
yes no
Do you spend money for sexual material or sexual interaction at pay sites?
yes no
Have you viewed online sexual material or engaged in online sexual interactions when you were suppose to be working?
yes no
Have you ever been told by anyone that you spend too much time on the computer or on the Internet?
yes no
Do you ever spend time with online sexual material or engage in online sexual interactions when that time could have been spent with your family, friends, or a romantic partner?
yes no
Has your Internet sexual behavior caused you to have problems with family, friends, or a romantic partner?
yes no
When you are not online, do you think about getting back online to visit sexual web sites or make sexual contacts?
yes no
Do you have sex sites that you frequently check to see if they have been updated?
yes no
Have you tried to stop your online sexual behavior by doing things like deleting your sex site bookmarks?
yes no
Have you tried to stop looking at online sexual material or tried to stop engaging in other online sexual behavior and then felt a strong desire to return to it?
yes no
Have you fantasized about people you've seen in Internet pornography or people you've been involved with online while having real sex with a partner?
yes no
Have you accumulated credit card debt from fees paid to gain access to Internet sexual material?
yes no
Do you feel ashamed or guilty after you have viewed pornography or had sexual encounters on the Internet?
yes no
Have you ever feared that you would be caught in the act of masturbating to Internet sexual material?
yes no
Have you ever come up with ways to avoid being caught engaging in an online sexual encounter or ways to avoid being caught looking at Internet sex sites?
yes no
Is it easier for you to reach climax masturbating to sexual content or contacts online as compared to when having sex with a partner?
yes no
Do you masturbate to sexual material on the Internet because it is easier than finding or maintaining sexual relationships?
yes no
Do you worry that your sexual behavior online is out of control?
yes no
Copyright © 1997-1999 Dana E. Putnam, Ph.D.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Giving Meaning To Your Responses
Life Interference: items 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 11, 17, and 23 . If you responded yes to any of these items your responses suggest that your online sexual behavior may be interfering with some aspect of your life.
Social Withdrawal: items 10, 11, 17, and 23. If you responded yes to any of these items your responses suggest that your online sexual behavior maybe related to you withdrawing from other people emotionally, physically, or sexually.
Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior: items 3, 5, 13, 14, and 15. If you responded yes to any of these items your responses suggest that you may be obsessively thinking about accessing sex online and / or compulsively seeking online sexual experiences. Obsessive thinking involves having thoughts of online sexual images filling your awareness and consciously anticipating when will be the next opportunity to get back to online sexual activity. Compulsive behavior involves seeking out online sexual material until satisfied with the material found and the sexual behavior is completed.
Tolerance / Withdrawal: items 3, 6, 7, 13, and 16. If you responded yes to any of these items your responses suggest that you may have developed a tolerance to engaging in online sexual behavior and / or that you began to crave online sexual activity after a period of time away from such behavior. Tolerance refers to the idea that you need to view more pornography, or more explicit pornography, to get the same level of arousal as previously was possible with less frequent or less explicit pornography. Withdrawal refers to the craving that develops to return online sex. This craving is related to the obsessive thinking referred to above.
Emotional Distress: items 2, 4, 19, and 20. If you responded yes to any of these items your responses suggest that you may experience emotional distress as a result of your online sexual behavior. Emotional distress refers to the development of negative feelings like shame, guilt, anger, and depression that may result from one negatively evaluating oneself because of the behavior they are engaged in.
Destructive Impairment: items 3, 9, 12, 18, 21, 22, and 24. If you responded yes to any of these items your responses suggest that your online sexual behavior has already had a significant effect on your life. Your online sexual behavior might be out of control and may have negatively affected your relationships, work, or finances. If you answered yes to any of these items you should seriously consider contacting a state licensed psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of sexual problems. You may also find groups such as Sexual Compulsives Anonymous http://www.sca-recovery.org/or Sex Addicts Anonymous http://www.sexaa.org:80/index.htmto be of assistance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 1997-1999 Dana E. Putnam, Ph.D.
http://www*******sexaddict.com/osaq.html
ONLINE SEXUAL ADDICTION QUESTIONNAIRE (OSA-Q)
Dana E. Putnam, Ph.D.
The OSA-Q was developed to help people to identify if they might be having a problem with their online sexual behavior. The OSA-Q is a 24-item questionnaire that was developed based on signs and symptoms of sexual addiction and how they might appear in relation to online sexual behavior. It is important to note that the questionnaire is not a psychological test; it has not been researched and its psychometric properties are currently unknown (i.e., reliability and validity). At the present time the OSA-Q is only a self-exploration tool. Individuals who use the OSA-Q that think they have a problem with sexual addiction are referred to seek a state licensed psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of sexual problems.
The following questions refer to any sexual activity that one may engage in online. The questions should be answered in relation to any sexual material or encounters one might be involved with online, including via chat, email, bbs, pictures, audio, and video.
Do you spend more time than you intend to with sexual material on the Internet?
yes no
Have you ever been caught looking at sexual material on your computer?
yes no
Have you told yourself that you would stop your sexual behavior on the Internet, then broken that resolution?
yes no
Do you ever get upset with yourself for wasting too much time searching for sex or sexual material on the Internet?
yes no
Do you ever masturbate at the computer while looking at online pornography or while engaging in online sexual behavior with others?
yes no
Do you need sexual images or interpersonal sexual contacts that are increasingly more graphic that those viewed or experienced before to attain the same level of sexual excitement?
yes no
Do you lose interest in previously viewed pornography or in previous online sexual partners and need to find new sexual material or contacts to get the same level of sexual excitement as in the past?
yes no
Do you spend money for sexual material or sexual interaction at pay sites?
yes no
Have you viewed online sexual material or engaged in online sexual interactions when you were suppose to be working?
yes no
Have you ever been told by anyone that you spend too much time on the computer or on the Internet?
yes no
Do you ever spend time with online sexual material or engage in online sexual interactions when that time could have been spent with your family, friends, or a romantic partner?
yes no
Has your Internet sexual behavior caused you to have problems with family, friends, or a romantic partner?
yes no
When you are not online, do you think about getting back online to visit sexual web sites or make sexual contacts?
yes no
Do you have sex sites that you frequently check to see if they have been updated?
yes no
Have you tried to stop your online sexual behavior by doing things like deleting your sex site bookmarks?
yes no
Have you tried to stop looking at online sexual material or tried to stop engaging in other online sexual behavior and then felt a strong desire to return to it?
yes no
Have you fantasized about people you've seen in Internet pornography or people you've been involved with online while having real sex with a partner?
yes no
Have you accumulated credit card debt from fees paid to gain access to Internet sexual material?
yes no
Do you feel ashamed or guilty after you have viewed pornography or had sexual encounters on the Internet?
yes no
Have you ever feared that you would be caught in the act of masturbating to Internet sexual material?
yes no
Have you ever come up with ways to avoid being caught engaging in an online sexual encounter or ways to avoid being caught looking at Internet sex sites?
yes no
Is it easier for you to reach climax masturbating to sexual content or contacts online as compared to when having sex with a partner?
yes no
Do you masturbate to sexual material on the Internet because it is easier than finding or maintaining sexual relationships?
yes no
Do you worry that your sexual behavior online is out of control?
yes no
Copyright © 1997-1999 Dana E. Putnam, Ph.D.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Giving Meaning To Your Responses
Life Interference: items 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 11, 17, and 23 . If you responded yes to any of these items your responses suggest that your online sexual behavior may be interfering with some aspect of your life.
Social Withdrawal: items 10, 11, 17, and 23. If you responded yes to any of these items your responses suggest that your online sexual behavior maybe related to you withdrawing from other people emotionally, physically, or sexually.
Obsessive-Compulsive Behavior: items 3, 5, 13, 14, and 15. If you responded yes to any of these items your responses suggest that you may be obsessively thinking about accessing sex online and / or compulsively seeking online sexual experiences. Obsessive thinking involves having thoughts of online sexual images filling your awareness and consciously anticipating when will be the next opportunity to get back to online sexual activity. Compulsive behavior involves seeking out online sexual material until satisfied with the material found and the sexual behavior is completed.
Tolerance / Withdrawal: items 3, 6, 7, 13, and 16. If you responded yes to any of these items your responses suggest that you may have developed a tolerance to engaging in online sexual behavior and / or that you began to crave online sexual activity after a period of time away from such behavior. Tolerance refers to the idea that you need to view more pornography, or more explicit pornography, to get the same level of arousal as previously was possible with less frequent or less explicit pornography. Withdrawal refers to the craving that develops to return online sex. This craving is related to the obsessive thinking referred to above.
Emotional Distress: items 2, 4, 19, and 20. If you responded yes to any of these items your responses suggest that you may experience emotional distress as a result of your online sexual behavior. Emotional distress refers to the development of negative feelings like shame, guilt, anger, and depression that may result from one negatively evaluating oneself because of the behavior they are engaged in.
Destructive Impairment: items 3, 9, 12, 18, 21, 22, and 24. If you responded yes to any of these items your responses suggest that your online sexual behavior has already had a significant effect on your life. Your online sexual behavior might be out of control and may have negatively affected your relationships, work, or finances. If you answered yes to any of these items you should seriously consider contacting a state licensed psychotherapist who specializes in the treatment of sexual problems. You may also find groups such as Sexual Compulsives Anonymous http://www.sca-recovery.org/or Sex Addicts Anonymous http://www.sexaa.org:80/index.htmto be of assistance.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright © 1997-1999 Dana E. Putnam, Ph.D.
http://www*******sexaddict.com/osaq.html
