Preliminary Validation of a German Version of the Sexual Complaints Screener for Women in a Female Population Sample

Andrea Burri; Hartmut Porst

doi:10.1016/j.esxm.2018.01.001

Preliminary Validation of a German Version of the Sexual Complaints Screener for Women in a Female Population Sample

Sex Med. 2018 Jun;6(2):123-130. doi: 10.1016/j.esxm.2018.01.001. Epub 2018 Feb 17.

Authors

Andrea Burri¹, Hartmut Porst²

Affiliations

¹ European Institute for Sexual Health, Hamburg, Germany; Private Institute for Andrology and Urology, Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: andrea.burri@kcl.ac.uk.
² European Institute for Sexual Health, Hamburg, Germany; Private Institute for Andrology and Urology, Hamburg, Germany.

Abstract

Background: To date, neither the original English nor any of the translated versions of the Sexual Complaints Screener for Women (SCS-W) have been tested for their psychometric properties.

Aim: To evaluate the validity and utility of the German version of the SCS-W by assessing content, convergent, and discriminant validity.

Methods: A population sample of 309 women (mean age = 26.9 years) completed the online survey and had matching data available on the SCS-W and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Spearman bivariate correlations between the SCS-W and FSFI domain scores and exploratory factor analysis with principal component analysis were conducted.

Outcomes: Convergent validity was excellent for the domain of orgasm, good for satisfaction, dyspareunia, and the total questionnaire score, and acceptable for desire, lubrication, arousal, and vaginismus. Discriminant validity was present for all domains apart from arousal, lubrication, and vaginismus. Varimax rotation suggested an 8-factor model was the most robust.

Clinical implications: This brief screener seems suitable to provide a brief overview of female patients' sexual problems in a clinical setting.

Strengths and limitations: This is the 1st study to assess the psychometric properties of the German version of the SCS-W. However, available information on the psychometric properties of the German SCS-W was limited because the validity of the screener could not be counterchecked against a clinical diagnosis of female sexual dysfunction.

Conclusion: Our results provide preliminary evidence of good validity of the German version of the SCS-W. Overall, the SCS-W can offer support for clinicians who are less familiar with sexual medicine and who might not routinely discuss sexual issues with their patients. Burri A, Porst H. Preliminary Validation of a German Version of the Sexual Complaints Screener for Women in a Female Population Sample. Sex Med 2018;6:123-130.

Keywords: Assessment; Female Sexual Dysfunction; Psychometric Properties; Screener; Sexual Complaints Screener for Women (SCS-W); Validation.