Developing and Validating a Questionnaire to Measure Women's Sexual Behaviors: A Psychometric Process

Abstract

Background: Sexual well-being is essential in women's overall health. Emphasis is placed on the assessment of women's sexual behaviors across various domains. The purpose of this study was to describe the processes undertaken to evaluate the psychometric properties of a questionnaire developed for assessing sexual behaviors in its domains among Iranian women through their reproductive age. Materials and Methods: A mixed method study using exploratory design was conducted with the Iranian women of reproductive age living in Rafsanjan, a city in the Kerman Province, the center of Iran. Item reduction was made in three main steps: 1) item development in the qualitative phase of the study; 2) determination of internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha correlation coefficient; 3) content and face validity, construct validity using factor analysis. The qualitative exploratory phase produced the 62-item Sexual Behaviors Assessment Questionnaire (SBAQ). Results: The exploratory factor analysis revealed three domains include sexual capacity, sexual motivation, and sexual performance. Good internal consistency and reliability were obtained (Cronbach's alpha coefficient = 0.81) for the global 33-item SBAQ. The items on the SBAQ revealed factor-loading > 0.5. Conclusion: The SBAQ is a new validated and culturally appropriate instrument for evaluating sexual behaviors of Iranian women through their reproductive ages.