OBJECTIVES : Existing tools for sexual life are focused on erectile dysfunction and do not measure other domains, such as stigma, fear of transmission, or satisfaction, that are important for people living with HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C. A 46-item pilot questionnaire was created based on interviews and then validated.

METHODS

: Subjects were included in 5 countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, USA). Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected. Besides the PROQOL-Sexlife, subjects completed questionnaires on sexuality (MSHQ, SRQ, FSFI) and the generic SF-12. Analysis was performed according to 3 different language groups (English, French and Portuguese) and different population subgroups (HIV+, HCV+, women, men having sex with men (MSM) and heterosexual men. An analysis by hierarchical classification was performed to explain the differences of sexual orientation.

RESULTS

1164 subjects were included (Australia: 175; Brazil: 360; Canada: 102, France: 393; USA: 134). Their infections were: 673 HIV, 365 HCV, 126 co-infection HIV/HCV and 92 HIV/HBV. 63% were female. Mean age was 49. 639 subjects were heterosexual, 465 homosexual, and 57 bisexual. High floor/ceiling effect, inter-item correlation, cross-loading or no clear loading were reasons to delete 23 items. Confirmatory analyses revealed different structure according to sexual practice: 4-factor structure with 23 items for women, 5-factor (23 items) for heterosexual, and 6-factor (22) items for MSM. PROQOL-Sexlife and SF-12 and other scores were logically correlated according to the concepts captured.

CONCLUSIONS : PROQOL-Sexlife analysis highlighted the impairment of sexual quality of life and different structure in sub-populations. The questionnaire specific to HIV and HCV is available for use as an endpoint in clinical trials and epidemiological studies.