The Sex Effects Scale: Pilot Validation in a Healthy Population

Objective: Sexual dysfunction is frequently associated with depression and is often exacerbated by antidepressant treatment. The true prevalence of antidepressant induced dysfunction during a major depressive episode is generally underreported, due to reliance on spontaneous self-report data and the reluctance of physicians to use standardized rating scales. The aim of this study is to validate the Sex Effects scale (SexFX) in a healthy population, addressing internal and inter-rater reliability, test-retest reliability, as well as convergent and divergent validity. Materials and Methods: The SexFX is a 13-item scale that assesses severity of sexual dysfunction across the domains of desire, arousal, and orgasm based on the frequency of behaviour. Healthy participants (N 53) had the SexFX and Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ) administered at two timepoints, two weeks apart. Results: The Cronbach’s a was 0.91 and 0.93 for the male and female scales, respectively, and inter-rater reliability was very high with ICCs of 0.99 for both the male and female scales. Concurrent validity with the CSFQ was adequate. Conclusion: The SexFX demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties, providing the results necessary to proceed with further validation trials. Psychopharmacology Bulletin. 2010;43(3):15–25.