Psychometric Properties of a Self-Report Version of the Sexual Interest and Desire Inventory-Female (SIDI-F-SR)

Background: The Sexual Interest and Desire Inventory-Female (SIDI-F) is a clinician-administered scale that allows for a comprehensive assessment of symptoms related to Hypoactive Sexual Desire Dysfunction (HSDD). As self-report questionnaires may facilitate less socially desirable responding and as time and resources are scarce in many clinical and research settings, a self-report version was developed (Sexual Interest and Desire Inventory-Female Self-Report; SIDI-F-SR). Aim: To assess the psychometric properties of the SIDI-F-SR and to investigate the agreement between the SIDI-F and SIDI-F-SR. Methods: A total of 170 women (Mage = 37, SD = 11, range = 20-69) with HSDD answered the SIDI-F, administered by a clinical psychologist via telephone, first, followed by the SIDI-F-SR, delivered as an Internet-based questionnaire. A subset of 19 women answered the SIDI-F-SR twice over a period of 14 weeks. Outcomes: Convergent validity of the SIDI-F-SR was assessed via correlations with the desire subscale of the Female Sexual Function Index and the Female Sexual Distress Scale Revised. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability as well as intraclass correlation and predictors of absolute agreement between SIDI-F and SIDI-F-SR were examined. Results: Test-retest-reliability was good (r = 0.74). Convergent validity was low but comparable between SIDI-F and SIDI-F-SR. Internal consistency of the SIDI-F-SR was acceptable (alpha = 0.76) and comparable to the SIDI-F (alpha = 0.74). When corrections for the restriction of range were applied, internal consistency of the SIDI-F-SR increased to 0.91. There was high agreement between SIDI-F and SIDI-F-SR (ICC = 0.86). On average, women scored about one point higher (indicated more desire) in the self-report vs the clinician-administered scale. Clinical Implications: The SIDI-F-SR can be used in settings where time and resources are limited. Whether the clinical cutoff point for the SIDI-F is adequate for the SIDI-F-SR has yet to be determined. Strengths and limitations: Large sample of diverse women with HSDD. Lack of control groups (ie, healthy controls, women with other sexual dysfunctions). Conclusion: The SIDI-F-SR showed promising psychometric properties in a sample of women with HSDD. Copyright (C) 2021 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.