"Vajinal Yaşlanmanın Günlük Etkisi Ölçeği"nin Kültürel Adaptasyonu, Güvenirlik-Geçerliği ve Vajinal Semptomlar ile Pelvik Taban Semptomları Arasındaki İlişkinin İncelenmesi

Abstract

The aim of this study was to culturally adapt the Day-to-Day Impact of Vaginal Aging Questionnaire (DIVA), and to study its validity and reliability, and to examine the relationship between vaginal symptoms and pelvic floor symptoms. A total of 218 individuals in the postmenopausal period were included in the study. After questioning the descriptive characteristics and medical history of the individuals, vaginal symptom effect, anxiety and depression levels and sexual function were evaluated with DIVA, "Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale” (HADS) and "Pelvic Organ Prolapse / Urinary Incontinence Sexual Function Questionnaire Short Form-12” (PISQ-12), respectively. The effects of pelvic floor symptoms were evaluated using the "Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory-20” (PFDI-20) and "Pelvic Floor Impact Questionnaire-7” (PFIQ-7) scales. The reliability and validity of DIVA were examined by analyses of internal consistency, test-retest, content, construct and criterion validation. According to the results of the study, the internal consistency (Cronbach α=0,97) and test-retest reliability (r=0,99) of the DIVA were found to be quite high (p<0,001). Criterion validity was demonstrated based on the relationship of DIVA with HADS (r=0,69; p<0,001) and PISQ-12 scores (r=-0,67; p<0,001) and the original 4-factor construct validity was confirmed. Positive moderate-high correlations were found between vaginal symptoms (DIVA scores) and pelvic floor symptoms (PFDI-20 and PFIQ-7 scores) (r=0,40-0,60; p<0,001). DIVA is a reliable and valid scale for evaluating the effect of vaginal symptoms in Turkish women in the postmenopausal period. Symptoms accompanying pelvic floor dysfunction are associated with vaginal symptoms. Further studies are needed to investigate the responsiveness of DIVA to various treatments, especially conservative approaches such as pelvic floor rehabilitation. Keywords: menopause, vaginal dryness, dyspareunia, pelvic floor, reliability, validity.