Maldonado Mariana, Figueira Gabriel Loureiro, Nardi Antonio E, Sardinha Aline
Sexual Dysfunction Nucleus, Institute of Psychiatry (IPUB), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 22410-003, Brazil.
Postgraduate Program of Informatics, Deparment of Data Science (PPGI/UNIRIO) Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 22410-003, Brazil.
J Sex Med. 2024 Dec 1;21(12):1178-1192. doi: 10.1093/jsxmed/qdae124.
Receptive vaginal penetration skills have been implicated in the etiology, explanatory models, and treatment of genito-pelvic pain penetration disorder (GPPPD). However, there are no psychometric skills measures designed to screen, assess, and stratify GPPPD.
We aimed to develop and psychometrically evaluate a new scale-the Vaginal Penetration Skills Scale (VPSS)-to screen, assess, and stratify GPPPD.
This study included 148 Brazilian females with GPPPD symptoms (113 lifelong and 35 acquired) and 251 Brazilian females without sexual complaints. We conducted factor analyses considering all participants (n = 399). Then, we conducted latent class analysis within the GPPPD group to identify clusters of individuals with similar VPSS profiles. We assessed convergent validity through intercorrelation with the Brazilian versions of the Female Genital Self-Image Scale (FGSIS) and the 6-item Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI-6).
We developed complete and short-form versions of the VPSS (VPSS-29 and VPSS-SF11, respectively), each with 3 dimensions, to screen, assess, and stratify GPPPD.
Factor analysis yielded a 3-factor VPSS model with the "Nonsexual Genital Self-Exploration," "Nonsexual Vaginal Penetration Skills," and "Sexual Vaginal Penetration Skills" dimensions for both VPSS versions. The reliability was excellent for the VPSS-29 (ω = 0.981, α = 0.981) and the VPSS-SF11 (ω = 0.959, α = 0.961). All 3 dimensions could detect significant differences between patients with GPPPD and healthy females. They also differentiated the patients with GPPPD, distinguishing gradient levels. For convergent validity, we found moderate to strong correlations (rho = 0.715-0.745) between the VPSS, FGSIS, and FSFI-6.
The VPSS can be applied easily in both clinical and research settings.
The VPSS provides a concise and thorough evaluation of receptive vaginal penetration skills in both sexual and nonsexual contexts among patients with GPPPD. The sample had limited diversity regarding gender and sexual orientation; therefore, it is important to validate the use of this scale in populations beyond the cisgender heterosexual female population to ensure its applicability in diverse settings.
These results support the reliability and psychometric validity of the VPSS as a self-report measure to screen, assess, and stratify GPPPD symptoms.
接受性阴道插入技能与生殖器 - 盆腔疼痛插入障碍（GPPPD）的病因、解释模型及治疗有关。然而，目前尚无用于筛查、评估和分层GPPPD的心理测量工具。
我们旨在开发并对一种新量表——阴道插入技能量表（VPSS）进行心理测量学评估，以筛查、评估和分层GPPPD。
本研究纳入了148名有GPPPD症状的巴西女性（113名先天性和35名后天性）以及251名无性功能障碍主诉的巴西女性。我们对所有参与者（n = 399）进行了因子分析。然后，我们在GPPPD组内进行潜在类别分析，以识别具有相似VPSS特征的个体集群。我们通过与巴西版女性生殖器自我形象量表（FGSIS）和6项女性性功能指数（FSFI - 6）的相互关联来评估收敛效度。
我们开发了VPSS的完整版和简版（分别为VPSS - 29和VPSS - SF11），每个版本都有3个维度，用于筛查、评估和分层GPPPD。
因子分析得出了一个三因素VPSS模型，两个版本的VPSS均包含“非性生殖器自我探索”、“非性阴道插入技能”和“性阴道插入技能”维度。VPSS - 29的信度极佳（ω = 0.981，α = 0.981），VPSS - SF11的信度也很高（ω = 0.959，α = 0.961）。所有3个维度都能检测出GPPPD患者与健康女性之间的显著差异。它们还能区分GPPPD患者，区分不同梯度水平。对于收敛效度，我们发现VPSS、FGSIS和FSFI - 6之间存在中度到强的相关性（rho = 0.715 - 0.745）。
VPSS可轻松应用于临床和研究环境。
VPSS对GPPPD患者在性和非性情境下的接受性阴道插入技能提供了简洁而全面的评估。样本在性别和性取向上多样性有限；因此，重要的是在顺性别异性恋女性群体之外的人群中验证该量表的使用，以确保其在不同环境中的适用性。
这些结果支持了VPSS作为一种自我报告测量工具用于筛查、评估和分层GPPPD症状的可靠性和心理测量学效度。
