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Do patients lie? An open interview vs. a blind questionnaire on sexuality
Camil Castelo-Branco1, Santiago Palacios, Javier Ferrer-Barriendos
1Institut Clínic de Ginecologia, Obstetrícia i Neonatologia (ICGON), Hospital Clínic, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain. castelobranco@ub.edu
The Journal of Sexual Medicine
|November 17, 2009
Summary
Anonymous questionnaires reveal more about women's sexual attitudes than direct interviews, particularly regarding unconventional partners and lower sexual interest. This highlights potential biases in clinical discussions about sexuality in postmenopausal women.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Medical Communication
- Women's Health
Background:
- Postmenopausal women often avoid discussing sexual health with doctors.
- Sociocultural, ethnic, and medical factors influence menopause attitudes and sexual expectations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine communication about sexual health between patients and doctors.
- To identify factors limiting these discussions.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey of 2,332 women aged 45-64.
- Utilized an ad hoc questionnaire and the Cervantes questionnaire.
- Collected data on demographics, reproductive variables, sexual activity, and quality of life.
Main Results:
- Anonymous questionnaires yielded higher reports of unconventional partners compared to clinical interviews.
- Significantly more women in anonymous questionnaires (over 40%) reported low sexual importance versus direct interviews (15.2%).
- High concordance (88.07%) was observed only for women reporting no sexual relationship; other conditions showed lower agreement.
Conclusions:
- Self-reported sexual data differs significantly between anonymous questionnaires and direct interviews.
- Blind questionnaires indicated a higher proportion of women with diminished interest in sexuality.
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