Psychometric Properties of the Iranian Version of the Sexual Quality of Life Scale among Women.

Introduction. Female sexual dysfunction has a known impact on the quality of life. Aim. The purpose of this study was the translation and validation of an Iranian version of the Sexual Quality of Life questionnaire- Female ( SQOL- F) in Iranian women. Methods. A population sample of N = 2,675 women aged 17-67 years from Qazvin City of Iran and two clinical population samples (women with sexual dysfunctions N = 295 and women with type 2 diabetes N = 449) participated in the study. A self-constructed demographic questionnaire, the SQOL- F, the Short Form Health Survey ( SF-36), and the Female Sexual Function Index ( FSFI) were used for data collection. Main Outcome Measures. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were examined. Correlations between the SQOL- F, SF-36, and FSFI were assessed with convergent validity. Furthermore, known-groups comparison analysis was conducted to compare differences in SQOL- F scores between healthy women and those with sexual problems and diabetes. Confirmatory factor analysis assessed the factor structure of the SQOL- F. Results. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.84 to 0.98. Significant correlations between the SQOL- F, SF-36, and FSFI scores were found (ranging from r = 0.4 to r = 0.72). The SQOL- F scores were significantly different between women with and without a clinical condition ( P < 0.05). A unifactorial model provided the best fit to the data. Conclusion. The questionnaire represents a suitable measure to assess sexuality-related quality of life to sexual function in healthy women, as well as in women suffering from a chronic medical condition. Application of the scale to other clinical samples needs to be further explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]