title: Psychometric validation of a sexual quality of life questionnaire for use in men with premature ejaculation or erectile dysfunction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An instrument that can systematically capture the impact of sexual dysfunction on quality of life (QoL) in men is needed.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To psychometrically validate a sexual QoL instrument for men (SQOL-M) with premature ejaculation (PE) or erectile dysfunction (ED).
  
  
  METHODS
  The main assessment populations were men participating in clinical trials of treatments for PE or ED. Men with PE had a confirmed intravaginal ejaculatory latency time of < or = 2 minutes in > or = 70% of attempts. Men with ED had a score of > 21 on the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Confirmatory psychometric testing was conducted in further groups of men with PE.
  
  
  METHODS
  The internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity, test-retest reliability, and known-groups validity of the instrument were assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An 11-item version of the SQOL-M was produced following factor analyses on men with either PE or ED. Psychometric testing showed no overlap between items and good item-total correlations. Factor analysis confirmed a one-factor solution. Excellent internal consistency was demonstrated, with a Cronbach's alpha of > or = 0.82 in all groups. In men reporting no change in their symptoms, the SQOL-M showed excellent test-retest reliability: the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.77 for men with PE, and 0.79 for men with ED. Convergent validity was also good. In men with PE, the SQOL-M correlated with the satisfaction and distress domains of the Index of Premature Ejaculation. In men with ED, the SQOL-M correlated with the overall satisfaction domain of the IIEF. The measure also demonstrated excellent discriminant validity between men with PE or ED and men with no sexual dysfunction (P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SQOL-M instrument is a useful tool for evaluating sexual QoL in men with PE and ED.
authors.affiliation: Global Outcomes Research, Pfizer Ltd, Sandwich, UK. lucy.abraham@pfizer.com
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Abraham
authors.forename: Tara
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Symonds
authors.forename: Mark F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Morris
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004542:Ejaculation; D006801:Humans; D007989:Libido; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012107:Research Design; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012747:Sexual Partners; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*