Validation of the sexual interest and desire inventory-female in hypoactive sexual desire disorder.

INTRODUCTION: The Sexual Interest and Desire Inventory-Female (SIDI-F) is a 13-item scale developed as a clinician-administered assessment tool to measure hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) severity in women.

AIM: To estimate the reliability and validity of the SIDI-F as a measure of HSDD severity.

METHODS: Women, aged 18-65 years, with primary HSDD, Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD), or no Female Sexual Dysfunction (no FSD) participated in two nontreatment studies (in North America and Europe). On days 0 and 28, subjects were assessed using the SIDI-F, Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire-Female (CSFQ-F), Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Test (MAT) and the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Discriminant validity, convergent validity, divergent validity, test-retest validity, and internal consistency of the SIDI-F.

RESULTS: The North American study enrolled women with HSDD (N = 113), FSAD (N = 49) and no FSD (N = 61); the European study enrolled women with HSDD (N = 130) and no FSD (N = 124). In both studies, mean SIDI-F total score for women with HSDD was lower than for those with no FSD (P < 0.001, for all) demonstrating discriminant validity. Further, mean SIDI-F total score for women with HSDD was lower than for those with FSAD in the North American study (P < 0.001). Convergent validity with the FSFI and CSFQ-F and divergent validity with MAT were demonstrated. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency were high.

CONCLUSIONS: The SIDI-F is a valid and reliable measure of HSDD severity in women.