Development of a Japanese Version of the Index of Sexual Satisfaction for Use in Couples with Young Children

Abstract

The occurrence of sexual dysfunction in couples after childbirth is well recognized, yet sexual satisfaction in couples with young children (CYC) has received little research attention. This study sought to enable this construct to be measured by developing and validating a Japanese version of the Index of Sexual Satisfaction (ISS) in CYC. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Scale construction and validation were conducted using two independent samples drawn from 316 mothers and 272 fathers in Japan who had at least one child aged 6 or younger. Two underlying factors were identified using exploratory factor analysis: sexual satisfaction, measured by eight items, and sexual dissatisfaction, measured by three. Polychoric ordinal alpha coefficients indicated the reliability of the resulting scale (overall: 0.89, factor 1: 0.89, factor 2: 0.78), and confirmatory factor analysis and testing supported its validity, showing good model fit (goodness of fit index: 0.984, root mean square residual: 0.062) and satisfactory composite reliability (scale: 0.93, factor 1: 0.90, factor 2: 0.81) and average variance extracted (all ≥0.5). The Japanese version of the ISS for Couples with Young Children will be useful for investigating sexual satisfaction, which is essential to marital stability.