Pascoal Patrícia M, Alvarez Maria-João, Pereira Cicero Roberto, Nobre Pedro
CICPSI, Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, Lisboa, Portugal; Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisbon, Portugal; Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação & CPUP, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
Faculdade de Psicologia, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.
J Sex Med. 2017 Apr;14(4):613-623. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2017.01.021. Epub 2017 Mar 1.
Past research on cognitive models of sexual functioning has focused on sexual beliefs as an important vulnerability factor for sexual dysfunction. However, the existing measurements of sexual beliefs are lengthy and entangle beliefs about sexual functioning with moral beliefs and ideas about sexuality. Furthermore, they have female and male versions, which does not allow for sex comparisons or dyadic research with heterosexual couples.
To describe the development and validation of the Beliefs About Sexual Functioning Scale (BASEF), which assesses beliefs about sexual functioning in men and women.
This study included two cross-sectional online studies with adults in heterosexual dyadic committed and exclusive relationships. In study 1 (sample A, n = 274, mean age = 32.27 years; sample B, n = 114, mean age = 30.6 years), the factorial validity of the BASEF was analyzed through an exploratory factor analysis with an initial poll of 51 items, followed by a test of its structure in a confirmatory factor analysis. In study 2 (n = 426, mean age = 31.5 years), the factorial equivalence of the BASEF was tested across sexes and its association with total scores of sexual functioning was analyzed.
The main outcome was a new instrument for measurement of beliefs about sexual functioning.
In study 1, 15 items indicating 5 factors were retained. The structure was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis, establishing its factorial validity with the five factors aggregated in a second-order latent variable. In study 2, the equivalence of the BASEF was demonstrated across sexes and its association with theoretically related measurements, the International Index of Erectile Function and the Female Sexual Function Index, was supported.
This new measurement could be useful to evaluate clients and design interventions that take into account similarity and discrepancy in sexual beliefs in couples, such as those interventions framed in cognitive and systemic clinical models.
This study presents a new measurement of beliefs about sexual functioning suited to address an equivalent set of beliefs for men and women. In future studies, the scale will be useful to compare the unique role of these same beliefs in the sexual outcomes of men and women. One major limitation is the lack of examination of the BASEF criterion validity with a clinical sample.
Results are indicative of a brief, valid, and reliable sex-invariant measurement of beliefs about sexual functioning that enables testing of cognitive models of sexual functioning in men and women in clinical and research settings. Pascoal PM, Alvarez M-J, Pereira CR, Nobre P. Development and Initial Validation of the Beliefs About Sexual Functioning Scale: A Gender Invariant Measure. J Sex Med 2017;14:613-623.
以往关于性功能认知模型的研究主要关注性观念，将其视为性功能障碍的一个重要易患因素。然而，现有的性观念测量方法冗长，且将关于性功能的观念与道德观念以及性观念纠缠在一起。此外，这些测量方法有针对女性和男性的不同版本，这使得无法进行性别比较或对异性恋伴侣进行二元研究。
描述性功能信念量表（BASEF）的开发与验证过程，该量表用于评估男性和女性对性功能的信念。
本研究包括两项针对处于异性恋二元忠诚且排他关系中的成年人的横断面在线研究。在研究1（样本A，n = 274，平均年龄 = 32.27岁；样本B，n = 114，平均年龄 = 30.6岁）中，通过对51个项目的初步调查进行探索性因素分析来分析BASEF的因素效度，随后在验证性因素分析中检验其结构。在研究2（n = 426，平均年龄 = 31.5岁）中，测试BASEF在不同性别间的因素等价性，并分析其与性功能总分的关联。
主要结果是一种用于测量对性功能信念的新工具。
在研究1中，保留了表明5个因素的15个项目。通过验证性因素分析确认了该结构，通过将这五个因素聚合在一个二阶潜在变量中确立了其因素效度。在研究2中，证明了BASEF在不同性别间的等价性，并支持了其与理论上相关测量指标（国际勃起功能指数和女性性功能指数）的关联。
这种新的测量方法可能有助于评估患者，并设计出考虑到伴侣间性观念异同的干预措施，比如那些基于认知和系统临床模型的干预措施。
本研究提出了一种新的对性功能信念的测量方法，适用于评估男性和女性同等的信念集合。在未来研究中，该量表将有助于比较这些相同信念在男性和女性性结果中的独特作用。一个主要局限性是缺乏对BASEF在临床样本中的效标效度的检验。
结果表明存在一种简短、有效且可靠的关于性功能信念的性别不变测量方法，能够在临床和研究环境中对男性和女性的性功能认知模型进行检验。帕斯卡尔·P·M、阿尔瓦雷斯·M - J、佩雷拉·C·R、诺布雷·P。性功能信念量表的开发与初步验证：一种性别不变的测量方法。《性医学杂志》2017；14：613 - 623。
