Treatment responsiveness of the self-esteem and relationship questionnaire in erectile dysfunction

Objectives. To determine the treatment responsiveness of the disease-specific Self-Esteem And Relationship (SEAR) questionnaire in erectile dysfunction. Methods. The SEAR questionnaire was administered at baseline and at the end of the study in 93 patients with erectile dysfunction enrolled in a 10-week, open-label, flexible-dose (50-mg sildenafil, adjustable to 25 mg or 100 mg) trial. Changes from the baseline score were analyzed using the paired t test. The correlation between the changes from baseline on the SEAR questionnaire and, the Erectile Function domain of the International Index of Erectile Function was examined. Results. Significant and meaningful differences (P = 0.0001) from baseline were observed in the two primary domains (Sexual Relationship and Confidence) and the two Confidence domain subscales (Self-Esteem and Overall Relationship). The magnitude of the change was quite high for most aspects (Sexual Relationship, effect size [ES] = 1.6; Confidence, ES = 1.0; Self-Esteem, ES = 1. 1) and moderate for one (Overall Relationship, ES = 0.6). Changes in Erectile Function domain score correlated moderately with changes in the SEAR domain and subscale scores (Sexual Relationship, r = 0.69; Confidence, r = 0.48; Self-Esteem, r = 0.47; and Overall Relationship, r = 0.35; P less than or equal to0.001). Conclusions. The SEAR questionnaire is responsive to effective treatment of erectile dysfunction. These data suggest that the SEAR questionnaire is a valid instrument for detecting psychosocial gains from beneficial intervention.