SECRET ® - SExual Chronicle REcording Table: Validation and reliability

Background Recording the entire sexual history of a patient from the very first sexual experiences to the current sexual habits is a challenging issue that physicians usually address with partial and non-standardized interviews. Objectives To validate the SExual Chronicle REcording Table (SECRET(R)), a structured written interview, developed and copyrighted both in English and Italian languages. Materials and methods A multicenter national validation study was performed asking 300 male patients affected by uro-andrological diseases to complete SECRET(R). The structured interview is based on four sexual dimensions (masturbation, oral, vaginal and anal sex), declined in seven items (1.Have you ever performed/Do you perform; 2.At what age did you first experience; 3.How many times a month; 4.With how many partners; 5.How much did/do you enjoy; 6.How many times did/do you use a condom; 7.How many times did/do you use the pull-out method). Data were stratified according to four stages of life (60 years old). Validity and reliability were assessed by using standard statistical methods for SECRET(R) validation. Results Overall, 295 patients (98.4%) filled all the questions. SECRET(R) showed a high level of internal coherence (Cronbach's alpha coefficient ranged from 0.85 to 0.97) and reproducibility (paired sample t-test at Test-Retest: p > .10). Conclusions SECRET(R) represents a novel, simple instrument to record a patient's sexual history in daily clinical practice and clinical research. SECRET(R) has shown a good validity, internal consistence and reliability in different clusters of patients with uro-andrological diseases.