Validation de la version française de l’échelle de satisfaction sexuelle

Objectives

The objective of this study was to validate a French version of the Index of Sexual Satisfaction. This unidimensional scale, the most widely used in international studies, evaluates sexual satisfaction in the context of couple relationships.

Methods

A total of 646 participants, 468 women and 178 men with an average age of 35.18 years old (SD: 13.77), completed 3 questionnaires: the French version of the Index Sexual Satisfaction (Comeau & Boisvert, 1985), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale-16 (DAS-16) online. Analyses were conducted in three stages: (1) descriptive, correlational and exploratory factorial analyses to verify the properties of the items; (2) confirmatory analyses to confirm the version obtained; and (3) concurrent validity analysis.

Results

The analysis of the distribution of the items, the inter-item and item-total correlations, and the hierarchical oblique factor analysis led to the exclusion of 6 items. Confirmatory factor analysis of this 19-item version showed satisfactory indicators (RMSEA = 0.012; SRMR = 0.065; CFI = 0.999; TLI = 0.999; GFI = 0.99) and Cronbach's alpha is 0.96. The results revealed that men are more sexually dissatisfied. The ISS-19 score is moderately and positively correlated with age and length of relationship. Finally, the correlations showed that depression is associated with a decrease in sexual satisfaction while the quality of interactions is associated with an increase in sexual satisfaction. The scale measures a general factor of sexual satisfaction.

Conclusion

This study provided a 19-item French version of the Index of Sexual Satisfaction, providing a valid and reliable self-reported measure of sexual satisfaction. The results were discussed in light of their clinical and scientific implications.