Sensitivity, specificity and clinical cut-off point of the Persian short form version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI-6).

Objective(s): Although the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the short form of the Female Sexual Function Scale (FSFI-6) was studied, the sensitivity and specificity of the Persian version of this instrument have not been investigated. The present study aimed to assess the sensitivity, specificity and clinical cut-off point of the FSFI-6 in Iranian women. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 165 women with and 131 women without sexual dysfunction. In addition to a demographic questionnaire, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI-19) questionnaire was administered. Using the Receiver-Operating Characteristic curve (ROC) analysis and indicating cut-off point, sensitivity and specificity were determined Results: Based on the short form of the original instrument, which included questions 4, 2, 7, 11, 16, and 17 from the longer version, the cut-off point for the FSFI-6 was 18.5 and the sensitivity and specificity were 61% and 52%, respectively. Considering that the calculated sensitivity and specificity of the index was relatively low and had a significant difference compared to the reported sensitivity and specificity for this instrument in the literature. Therefore, questions 5, 8, 12, and 18 were replaced with questions 4, 7, 11, and 17 and the analysis was repeated. Based on the replaced questions, the cut-off point was 20.5 and the sensitivity and specificity of the tool was 90%. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the Persian version of FSFI-6 with questions 2, 5, 8, 12, 16, and 18 has a better performance for diagnosing sexual dysfunction in Iranian women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]