title: Assessment of sexual health in aging men in Europe: development and validation of the European Male Ageing Study sexual function questionnaire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Assessment of male sexual dysfunction has been the focus of substantial scientific effort. Less research has focused on the development of instruments for the measurement of sexual functioning in aging men.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study were: (i) to characterize the psychometric properties of a new brief, reliable, and valid measure of male sexual functioning for use in a large population survey of middle-aged and elderly European men; and (ii) specifically, to determine whether the new instrument, the European Male Ageing Study-sexual function questionnaire (EMAS-SFQ), discriminates between men with high and low levels of circulating testosterone (T) (total T, free T, and bioavailable T).
  
  
  METHODS
  One thousand six hundred men aged 40-79 years completed the self-administered EMAS-SFQ, the Beck depression inventory, and provided a blood sample for assessment of sex hormones. Eighty-five men aged 35-74 years completed the EMAS-SFQ twice, 2 weeks apart to examine the test-retest reliability of the instrument.
  
  
  METHODS
  Scores on the EMAS-SFQ in relation to age and T levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Principal component analysis showed that the EMAS-SFQ had four distinct domains (overall sexual functioning [OSF], masturbation, sexual functioning-related distress, and change in sexual functioning). The instrument demonstrated excellent internal and test-retest reliability, as well as convergent, divergent, and discriminant validity. Men with the lowest levels of total, free, and bioavailable T reported lower OSF scores compared to men with the highest T levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The EMAS-SFQ is a valid and reproducible instrument, sensitive to age and T levels. It should be suitable for the assessment of sexual health in population samples of men in epidemiological studies of aging.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: Daryl B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Corona
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Forti
authors.forename: Abdelouahid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tajar
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Joseph D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Finn
authors.forename: Gyorgy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bartfai
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boonen
authors.forename: Felipe F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Casanueva
authors.forename: Aleksander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giwercman
authors.forename: Ilpo T
authors.initials: IT
authors.lastname: Huhtaniemi
authors.forename: Krzysztof
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kula
authors.forename: Terence W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pendleton
authors.forename: Margus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Punab
authors.forename: Alan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Silman
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vanderschueren
authors.forename: Frederick C W
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology; D005060:Europe; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054526:Men's Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone