Questionnaires to measure sexual quality of life
Sex is important to quality of life. There are a number of questionnaires to measure sexual-function, but many lack applicability and usefulness to certain groups. To identify questionnaires measuring sexual function, determine the domains most commonly assessed, and examine evidence for their usefulness in different populations. Computerized literature search using Medline, PubMed and PsychLit, reference lists, and unpublished reports, published in English between 1957 and 2001. MESH terms included sexual function, sexual dysfunction, sexual satisfaction, quality of life, and questionnaire. Articles were excluded if the questionnaire did not measure sexual function from the patient perspective. Questionnaires were grouped as general questionnaires that include a sexual function domain, and sexual-function-specific questionnaires. Questionnaires were evaluated for domains, applicability to different populations, and evidence for reliability, validity and responsiveness. Literature search yielded 62 questionnaires, 57 which assessed sexual function from the patient perspective; 12 were general and 45 specific. Six domains were commonly represented, including interest and desire, satisfaction/quality of experience, excitement/arousal, performance, attitude/behavior, and relationship. Only 28% could be used in homosexual patients, and 52% were applicable to both genders; 57% were designed for use in chronic disease populations. Only nine questionnaires had evidence for both adequate reliability and validity. Current measures of sexual functioning often exclude important domains, lack applicability to gender and sexual preference groups, or lack adequate testing of validity and testing in important populations. Future questionnaires should take into account these concerns.
Abstract
An increasing number of people use the Internet for Online Sexual Activities (OSA). This sexual revolution has resulted in both positive and negative aspects, enriching sexual functioning but also providing other risks for criminal, negative and harmful sexual conducts, or Online Sexual Problems (OSP). A deeper understanding of Internet sexuality is therefore important for practitioners who work in the psychological and sexological fields. Current studies on Internet sexuality span a broad spectrum with respect to data collection: interviews, questionnaires, observations, content analyses and Internet log file recordings have all been used. The aim of this paper is to offer the most complete overview of these instruments focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of different tools currently available to assess different dimensions of OSA, and to suggest a simple screener for OSP. A systematic search of published online sexual activities inventories was performed using PsychInfo and Pubmed (1993 to July 2013). Although many of them are adequate for their own purposes,
Introduction
A growing number of people use Internet for Online Sexual Activities (OSA) and its consumption is rapidly increasing (Döring, 2009). OSA refer to the Internet use for any activity that involves sexuality for the purposes of recreation, entertainment, exploration, support, education, commerce and/or seeking out sexual or romantic partners (Boies, 2004). In the last years, a strong double link has arisen between sexuality and this new medium: first, the Internet represented a novel arena for existing sexual practices; secondly, the Internet offered the chance to discover new sexual interests. This new sexual revolution has led to both positive and negative aspects, facilitating and enriching sexual functioning but also furnishing other risks for criminal, negative and harmful sexual conducts, or Online Sexual Problems (OSP). Such difficulties include negative financial, legal, occupational, relational as well as personal repercussions from OSA. The wide variety of problems arising from Internet use include overuse in general and problems
Methods
A systematic search of published online sexual activities inventories was performed using PsychInfo and Pubmed (1993 to July 2013). In an effort to identify the instruments used in basic research or in clinical settings, the search terms ‘inventories’, ‘questionnaires’, ‘interviews’ and ‘structured interviews’ were combined consecutively with the following terms: ‘Internet sexuality’, ‘online sexual activities’, ‘online sexual problems’, ‘cybersex’, ‘cybersexual addiction’. The search was limited to English-language papers in which evaluation of some kind of OSA and/or cybersexual addiction diagnosis were described. Moreover, only manuscripts reporting the entire version of the inventory and its psychometric features were considered. In Figure 1, a flow chart of study selection procedure is provided