The Sexual Problems Following Trauma Questionnaire (SPTQ): Development and Psychometric Properties

The present study describes the development and psychometric evaluation of a new diagnostic instrument for the assessment of trauma-related sexual problems: The Sexual Problems following Trauma Questionnaire (SPTQ). A set of 55 items, developed from a comprehensive literature review and expert and patient queries, was tested on a German sample of 849 trauma-exposed adults and 46 healthy controls. The initial items were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) in a randomly selected subsample (N = 439) of trauma-exposed adults. A final set of 27 items was subjected to a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to cross-validate the factor structure in a separate subsample (N = 410). The EFA revealed six dimensions: Negative Emotions and Cognitions, Lack of Boundaries, Intrusion and Avoidance, Dissociation, Hyperarousal, and Instrumental Sexual Behavior. The CFA demonstrated good to excellent model fit (CFI = .91; TLI = .90; RMSEA = .08; SRMR = .07), and the SPTQ total scale showed excellent internal consistency (α = .95). Convergent validity was supported by significant correlations with sexual function measures, while criterion validity showed correlations with time since last sexual contact and satisfaction. In sum, results indicate that the SPTQ is a reliable and valid measure of sexual problems following trauma.