Self-report assessment of female sexual function: psychometric evaluation of the Brief Index of Sexual Functioning for Women.
Previous self-report measures of female sexual function have been either overly restrictive or inappropriate for use in large-scale clinical trials. Accordingly, we have developed the Brief Index of Sexual Functioning for Women (BISF-W), a 22-item, self-report instrument for the assessment of current levels of female sexual functioning and satisfaction. The BISF-W was administered at monthly intervals to a standardization sample of 269 women, ages 20-73 years. A principal components analysis yielded a three-factor solution--interest/desire, sexual activity, and satisfaction--which accounted for 51.2% of the variance. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by means of a comparison with the Derogatis Sexual Function Inventory. In addition, the BISF-W was compared to the Brief Sexual Function Questionnaire, a similar self-report measure of sexual functioning for men. Major advantages of the BISF-W are its ease of administration and scoring, suitability for use in both clinical and nonclinical samples, and assessment of key dimensions of female sexuality. However, based on its moderate test-retest reliability and internal consistency, further development of the instrument is indicated.
Taylor
J F
JF
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903.
Rosen
R C
RC
Leiblum
S R
SR
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011594:Psychometrics; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires