Providing Validity Evidence for the MGH-SFQ

What is it about?

Sexual dysfunctions affect a high proportion of the world's population, estimated to be between 20% and 40%. In the clinical setting, standardized self-report measures constitute an excellent methodology for screening possible sexual dysfunctions. The Massachusetts General Hospital-Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (MGH-SFQ) is a tool that meets these requirements. It is a brief questionnaire that allows for the evaluation of the dimensions of desire, arousal, orgasm, erection, and satisfaction. With the aim of providing evidence of the validity of this instrument, this study associated the MGH-SFQ scores with psychophysiological measures of sexual arousal. To this end, 48 men were assessed for their sexual functioning using the MGH-SFQ, their propensity for sexual excitation/inhibition, and sexual arousal (self-reported and penile erection) in response to videos with explicit sexual content. The findings indicate that scores on the MGH-SFQ erection item were positively associated with the genital response, which supports its utility for identifying possible erectile disorders. Furthermore, scores on the MGH-SFQ arousal item were negatively associated with sexual inhibition due to fear of sexual performance failure, meaning that a greater propensity for sexual inhibition is associated with more arousal difficulties. Finally, it was observed that men with sexual function difficulties, compared to those who reported no difficulties, showed greater sexual inhibition due to fear of failure and lower intensity in their erectile response.

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Photo by Bjorn Pierre on Unsplash

Photo by Bjorn Pierre on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This study supports the utility of the Spanish version of the MGH-SFQ as a brief instrument that can identify possible difficulties in sexual function, specifically erectile dysfunction.

Perspectives