Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Sexual Health Outcomes in Women Questionnaire (SHOW-Q).
Study design: SHOW-Q was developed to assess the impact of pelvic problems on sexual desire, frequency, satisfaction, orgasm, and discomfort. A total of 1833 English- or Spanish-speaking women enrolled in 5 studies across the United States completed relevant items at baseline and, for 4 studies, periodically thereafter. Participants also completed measures of pelvic symptomatology and health-related quality-of-life including mental and physical component scales (MCS, PCS).
Results: Factor analysis revealed a 12-item scale with high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86) and 4 reliable subscales (alpha = 0.73 to 0.84). Among sexually active women, SHOW-Q scores showed statistically significant correlations (P < .001) with MCS (0.267), PCS (0.378), body image (.360), and symptom resolution (.237). The SHOW-Q subscales were also correlated with these other measures at baseline and over time.
Conclusion: SHOW-Q is a reliable, valid, and sensitive measure of sexual functioning for use in diverse women's health outcome studies.