Multivariate Assessment of Sexual Dysfunction

This article reviews and critiques assessment techniques used by clinicians and researchers to evaluate male, female, and couple sexual dysfunction. Because sexual dysfunction is multidimensional, these techniques are drawn from the psychological, behavioral, and physiological domains. Assessment by self-report includes evaluation by interview, by questionnaire, and by behavioral records. Various methods for the physiological assessment of male impotence and female arousal deficiency are also reviewed. Relations among measures derived from the psychological, behavioral, and physiological domains showed considerable disagreement; however, because sexual dysfunctioning derives its meaning from all three contexts, measures from one should not be considered theoretically more or less valid than those from another. Conceptual issues involved in assessment using measures and techniques from all three domains are discussed, and recommendations for future research are presented.