Download the SASBA© scale here
Developed by St Andrew’s Healthcare, the St Andrew’s Sexual Behaviour Assessment (SASBA)© scale is an observational rating scale for inappropriate sexual behaviour (ISB) in people with progressive and acquired neurological impairment.
The SASBA scale enables each incident of inappropriate sexual behaviour to be recorded separately into one of four behaviour categories, each with four levels of severity (from ‘mild’ to ‘very severe’). Subjectivity in reporting is reduced as definitions of each behavioural category and its severity are given.
Inappropriate sexual behaviour may coexist alongside aggressive behaviour in some patients with acquired and progressive neurological conditions. Because of this, the SASBA scale is based on, and works in partnership with, the Overt Aggression Scale – Modified for Neurorehabilitation (OAS-MNR*), which looks specifically at the measurement and assessment of aggression within these clinical populations. Using the same structures and contextual indicators, both tools work together to assist clinicians to understand why patients engage in these behaviours captured by both scales.
The SASBA scale is a unique tool as it takes into account the context surrounding inappropriate sexual behaviour. It enables continuous analysis of incidents, allowing staff to gain an understanding of how to reduce inappropriate sexual behaviour long-term. By determining the relationship that behaviours have with environmental factors and social responses, which are all captured by SASBA, the scale helps clinicians to discuss and objectively determine what behaviour is and is not appropriate, and to monitor their frequency over time. For those individuals whose behaviour is not appropriate within the social context in which it occurs, the SASBA scale’s ease of use allows sufficient information to be collected to enable a basic functional analysis of inappropriate sexual behaviour to be undertaken.
Combined with the history and other assessments pertaining to the individual, a formulation as to the reasons driving inappropriate sexual behaviour and more tailored treatment plans could result.
* Alderman, N., Knight, C. and Morgan, C. (1997). Use of a modified version of the Overt Aggression Scale in the measurement and assessment of aggressive behaviours following brain injury. Brain Injury, 11, 503-523.