The use of the sexual function questionnaire as a screening tool for women with sexual dysfunction.
OBJECTIVE
To determine if the validated Sexual Function Questionnaire (SFQ), developed to assess efficacy in female sexual dysfunction (FSD) clinical trials, may also have utility in identifying target populations for such studies.


METHODS
Data from five clinical trials and two general population surveys were used to analyze the utility of the SFQ as a tool to discriminate between the presence of specific components of FSD (i.e., hypoactive sexual desire disorder, female sexual arousal disorder, female orgasmic disorder, and dyspareunia).


RESULTS
Sensitivity/specificity analysis and logistic regression analysis, using data from all five clinical studies and the general population surveys, confirmed that the SFQ domains have utility in detecting the presence of specific components of FSD and provide scores indicative of the presence of a specific sexual disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
The SFQ is a valuable new tool for detecting the presence of FSD and identifying the specific components of sexual functions affected (desire, arousal, orgasm, or dyspareunia).
Quirk
Frances
F
Schools of Psychology and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia.
Haughie
Scott
S
Symonds
Tara
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004414:Dyspareunia / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012106:Research; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D052065:Vaginismus / Q000175:diagnosis