The Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale: a validity and reliability assessment of the Thai translation (ASEX-Thai) in Parkinson's disease

Introduction: Cultural sensitivities tend to limit assessments of sexual dysfunction (SD) in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objective: To assess the validity and reliability of the Thai translation (ASEX-Thai) of the Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX).

Method: The validity and reliability of ASEX-Thai were assessed with a random sample of 40 PD patients. Back translation and cross-cultural modifications assured content validity. Criterion validity used DSM-IV-TR criteria and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis was calculated for cutoff points plus sensitivity and specificity. Internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Test-retest reliability was assessed by Pearson's correlation at baseline and at a 2-month follow-up.

Result: Criterion validity was conducted with a positive correlation between the clinical diagnosis of SD and DSM-IV-TR (r = 0.601; p < 0.001). The ROC analysis differentiated between SD and non-SD patients (p < 0.001). The cutoff point of ASEX-Thai at ≥16 points effectively screened for SD (sensitivity 96.2%, specificity 92.9%). Reliability was documented with the Cronbach's alpha of all items at baseline and at a 2-month follow-up with values of 0.948 and 0.962 respectively. The Pearson's correlation also showed highly significant test-retest reliability [Item 1 (r = 0.959, p < 0.001), Item 2 (r = 0.914, p < 0.001), Item 3 (r = 0.944, p < 0.001), Item 4 (r = 0.992, p < 0.001), Item 5 (r = 0.930, p < 0.001), and total ASEX-Thai score (r = 0.883, p < 0.001)].

Conclusion: ASEX-Thai is a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of sexual dysfunction in Thai PD patients.