TURKISH VERSION OF THE CAROL POSTPARTUM SEXUAL FUNCTION AND DYSPAREUNIA ASSESSMENT SCALE (CAROL SCALE): A VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY STUDY

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of Turkish form of The Carol Postpartum Sexual Function And Dyspareunia Assessment Scale (Carol's Scale) that was developed by López-Lapeyrere et al. Methods: The language and content validity of the scale is provided. The study was conducted on 112 women reinitiated sexual activity with vaginal intercourse during the first three months postpartum. The data was transferred to the computer environment via LISREL 8.54 and SPSS 22.0 package programs. Internal consistency coefficient, test-tekrar test coefficient item analysis to assess the reliability of the scale, content validity and construct validity for validity of the scale. Results: Cronbach Alpha coefficient was found 0.84. There is no significant difference between the test-retest mean in all three factors (p>0.05). Three factors consisting of 11 items, explaining 63.479% of total variability and whose eigen value is over 1 were obtained in factor analysis done with varimax rotation for construct validity. Factorial model of scales were found theoretically and statistically perfect fit after confirmatory factor analysis. Conclusion: Carol's Scale is valid and reliable for measuring sexual function and postpartum dyspareunia on Turkish women