Cross-cultural adaptation of the Female Genital Self-Image Scale (FGSIS) in Iranian female college students

J Sex Res. 2014;51(6):646-53. doi: 10.1080/00224499.2013.821441. Epub 2013 Oct 29.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of a translated and culturally adapted Iranian version of the Female Genital Self-Image Scale (FGSIS-I) in a sample of college women. Further, the relationship between women's self-image, body appreciation, sexual functioning, and gynecological exam behavior was explored. A sample of 1,877 female students from five different universities across Qazvin and Tehran completed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Body Appreciation Scale (BAS), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), the FGSIS-I, and a gynecological exam behavior questionnaire. Good to excellent internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and convergent and construct validity were found. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) both provided a two-factor structure for the FGSIS-I. The validity of the FGSIS-I in predicting gynecological exam behavior of college women was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The final model accounted for 33% of the variance in gynecological exam behavior (p < 0.01). In conclusion, the FGSIS-I was found to be a highly valid and reliable instrument to assess female genital self-image in Iranian women.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Body Image / psychology*
  • Cross-Cultural Comparison
  • Female
  • Genitalia, Female*
  • Humans
  • Iran / ethnology
  • Psychometrics / instrumentation*
  • Students / psychology*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires / standards*
  • Universities
  • Young Adult