The Sexual Minority Women Rejection Sensitivity Scale
Dyar, C., Feinstein, B.A., Eaton, N.R., & London, B. (2015). Development and Initial Validation
of the Sexual Minority Women Rejection Sensitivity Scale. Psychology of Women Quarterly.
Scoring Instructions
To obtain a score for each participant:
(1) For each scenario, multiply the score for the degree of anxiety/concern about the potential
rejection (anxiety/concern question: “How anxious/concerned would you be…”) by the score for
the expected likelihood of sexual orientation rejection (expectation question: “How likely is
it…”).
(2) Calculate the mean score by averaging across the 16 anxious expectations product scores.
Instructions: Please read the following descriptions of situations and answer the two questions
that follow each one. Imagine each situation as vividly as you can, as if you were actually there.
1. You and your female partner are having dinner together at a restaurant. A male
customer approaches your table.
How anxious/concerned would you be that the Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
man might sexually harass you because of your
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
sexual orientation?
How likely is it that the man will sexually Very Unlikely Very Likely
harass you because of your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2. You and your female partner are leaving a store together holding hands. A car drives by
and the driver honks the horn loudly several times.
How anxious/concerned would you be that the Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
driver might have honked because of your
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
sexual orientation?
How likely is it that the driver honked because Very Unlikely Very Likely
of your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3. You are on a date with a woman at a restaurant. Your waiter provides you and your date
with poor service.
How anxious/concerned would you be that the Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
poor service may have been because of your
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
sexual orientation?
How likely is it that the poor service was Very Unlikely Very Likely
because of your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
4. You and your female partner are walking together holding hands. Several men are
gathered on a corner outside a bar.
How anxious/concerned would you be that you Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
may be harassed or assaulted because of your
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
sexual orientation?
How likely is it that you will be harassed or Very Unlikely Very Likely
assaulted because of your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
5. You are at a bar with a female friend and an intoxicated male approaches you and
attempts to pick you up. You turn him down and he reacts angrily, calling you a “dyke.”
How anxious/concerned would you be that he Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
might physically assault you because of your
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
sexual orientation?
How likely is it that he will physically assault Very Unlikely Very Likely
you because of your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6. You and your female partner are looking to buy a house. After looking at a house
together with the realtor, the realtor fails to schedule an appointment to view another
house that she represents.
How anxious/concerned would you be that the
Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
realtor may have failed to schedule an
appointment because of your sexual 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
orientation?
How likely is it that the realtor failed to Very Unlikely Very Likely
schedule an appointment because of your
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
sexual orientation?
7. A few of your female coworkers regularly try to set you up with men but they never try
to set you up with women.
How anxious/concerned would you be that Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
they may be doing this because they don’t
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
accept your sexual orientation?
How likely is it that they are doing this because Very Unlikely Very Likely
of your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8. You are hanging out with a group of heterosexual female coworkers, and the subject
turns to boyfriends and husbands.
How anxious/concerned would you be that Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
they may treat you differently because of your
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
sexual orientation?
How likely is it that they would treat you Very Unlikely Very Likely
differently because of your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
9. A new female friend of yours makes negative remarks about lesbians.
How anxious/concerned would you be that she Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
may not want to be friends if she knew of your
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
sexual orientation?
How likely is it that she wouldn’t want to be Very Unlikely Very Likely
friends if she knew of your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
10. You disclose your sexual orientation to a new friend. Your friend doesn’t express
concern about it, but your friendship soon drifts apart.
How anxious/concerned would you be that the Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
drifting apart of this friendship is because of
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
your sexual orientation?
How likely is it that your friendship drifted Very Unlikely Very Likely
apart because of your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
11. You walk into the locker room at the gym and begin to change. A woman near you
moves to a different part of the locker room.
How anxious/concerned would you be that she Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
may have moved because of your sexual
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
orientation?
How likely is it that she moved because of Very Unlikely Very Likely
your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
12. Your supervisor begins raising concerns about your performance at work for the first
time after you bring your female partner to a company picnic.
How anxious/concerned would you be that
Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
your supervisor may be raising concerns about
your performance at work because of your 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
sexual orientation?
How likely is it that your supervisor is raising Very Unlikely Very Likely
concerns about your performance at work
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
because of your sexual orientation?
13. You notice your relatives looking at you and your female partner at a family reunion,
but they don’t come over to talk to you.
How anxious/concerned would you be that Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
they may have not come over to talk to you
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
because of your sexual orientation?
How likely is it that they didn’t come over to Very Unlikely Very Likely
talk to you because of your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
14. You and your female partner are getting married. Several of your coworkers do not
come to the wedding ceremony.
How anxious/concerned would you be that Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
they may not have come because of your
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
sexual orientation?
How likely is it that they did not come because Very Unlikely Very Likely
of your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
15. The principal at your child’s elementary school has never spoken to you and your
partner at school events, but you often see him speaking with other parents.
How anxious/ concerned would you be that he Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
may not have spoken to you because of your
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
sexual orientation?
How likely is that he doesn’t speak to you Very Unlikely Very Likely
because of your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
16. During a lecture on sexual orientation, your professor includes several stereotypes
about lesbian and bisexual women as if they were facts. After the lecture, you approach the
professor and politely point out the incorrect aspects of the lecture. You receive a lower
grade than you expected in the class.
How anxious/concerned would you be that you Very Unconcerned Very Concerned
may have received a lower grade in the class
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
because of your sexual orientation?
How likely is it that you received a lower grade Very Unlikely Very Likely
in the class because of your sexual orientation? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
