RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Sexual dysfunction is frequent in patients with schizophrenia compared to the general population. Screening for this dysfunction seems essential, and a scale such as the Arizona Sexual Experience (ASEX) Scale may help practitioners. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of the Arabic version of the ASEX scale. METHOD: Arabic translation of the ASEX scale was obtained by the "forward/backward translation" method. Adaptations were made after a pre-test including ten outpatients with schizophrenia. For validation, one hundred outpatients with schizophrenia were recruited in the psychiatric department in Sousse (Tunisia) during a period of three months. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach alpha coefficient and test-retest was conducted by use of Pearson correlation. For factor analysis, principal components analysis and Varimax rotation were adopted. RESULTS: The study of internal consistency between the 5 Items was found to be good (α=0.82). The test-retest reliability was satisfactory (r=0.92, p<10(-3)). Regarding construct validity, factor analysis revealed one factor that was responsible for 83.7% of the variance. CONCLUSION: This study assessed the reliability and validity of the Arabic version of the ASEX scale. These findings demonstrate the highly acceptable psychometric properties of ASEX in patients with schizophrenia.