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PILOT STUDY INVESTIGATING FEASIBILITY OF STANDARDIZED SEXUAL FUNCTION ASSESSMENT
MEASURES FOR MEN LIVING WITH HIV
PM Buckler1, RW Burgoyne2,3
1Senior Medical Student, University of Toronto; 2Department of Psychiatry, University
of Toronto; 3Toronto General Hospital Immunodeficiency Clinic, Toronto, Ontario
Objective: Evaluate the utility of standardized sexual function questionnaires
in HIV-positive adult males.
Methods: 26 male PHA completed the International Index of Erectile Function
(IIEF) and the Sexual Desire Inventory (SDI), modified slightly to accommodate
both male-male and male-female experience without compromising the face validity
of the instruments. Subjects also completed a ‘screening form’ containing yes/no
questions based on grounded diagnostic criteria for hypoactive desire and erectile
disorder, as well as visual analogue scales relating current sexual desire and
erectile function to “best ever” desire and function. Based on responses to
categorical questions, subjects were classified as having “intact” or “impaired”
erectile function, and independent samples t-tests were used to compare
these groups’ mean IIEF scores. The small number of subjects (N=4) indicating
impaired desire prevented “intact” and “hypoactive” sexual desire classification.
Pearson correlation coefficients were used to assess associations between visual
analogue scale response viz. sexual desire and erectile reliability and, respectively,
SDI and IIEF ratings.
Results: The mean IIEF score (erectile function construct) of the group
(N=13) indicating sub-optimal erectile function on the categorical screening
questionnaire was significantly lower than that of the group reporting intact
erectile function (P<0.0001). Visual analogue scale responses for erectile
function were highly correlated with IIEF scores (Pearson’s r=0.925; P<0.0001).
Sexual desire visual analogue responses were moderately correlated with SDI
scores (Pearson’s r=0.685; P=0.0001).
Conclusions: The results of this pilot study suggest that the IIEF and
the SDI are suitable instruments for assessing sexual function in males infected
with HIV. Moreover, brief-format self-report visual analogue scales may serve
as viable screening tools for sexual desire and erectile function within this
population. Further research evaluating the validity of these instruments is
recommended.