Creation and Validation of the Self-esteem/Self-image Female Sexuality (SESIFS) Questionnaire

INTRODUCTION: Self-esteem and self-image are psychological aspects that affect sexual function. AIMS: To validate a new measurement tool that correlates the concepts of self-esteem, self-image, and sexuality. METHODS: A 20-question test (the self-esteem/self-image female sexuality [SESIFS] questionnaire) was created and tested on 208 women. Participants answered: Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale, the female sexual quotient (FSQ), and the SESIFS questionnaire. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to test concurrent validity of the SESIFS against Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale and the FSQ. Reliability was tested using the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. RESULT: The new questionnaire had a good overall reliability (Cronbach’s alpha r = 0.862, p < 0.001), but the sexual domain scored lower than expected (r = 0.65). The validity was good: overall score r = 0.38, p < 0.001, self-esteem domain r = 0.32, p < 0.001, self-image domain r = 0.31, p < 0.001, sexual domain r = 0.29, p < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS: The SESIFS questionnaire has limitations in measuring the correlation among self-esteem, self-image, and sexuality domains. A new, revised version is being tested and will be presented in an upcoming publication.