Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42611147›Full record

Observational studyJournal of patient-reported outcomes2026

Validation of the DIVAS-Q (Day-to-Day Impact of Vulvovaginal Atrophic Symptoms Questionnaire): a Portuguese patient-reported outcome measure.

Andreia Antunes, Patrício Costa, Ana Alves, Alexandra Colaço, Maria Guarino, Cristina Nogueira-Silva

Abstract readMulticenter StudyValidation StudyObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Journal of patient-reported outcomes, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Andreia AntunesLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. andreia.antunes@sapo.pt.
Patrício CostaCenter for Psychology at University of Porto (CPUP), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Ana AlvesGynaecology and Obstetrics Service, Local Health Unit of the Leiria Region, Leiria, Portugal.
Alexandra ColaçoPersonalized Health Care Unit of Sete Rios, Santa Maria Local Health Unit, Lisbon, Portugal.
Maria GuarinociTechCare -Center for Innovative Care and Health Technology, Instituto Politécnico de Leiria, Leiria, Portugal. maria.guarino@ipleiria.pt.
Cristina Nogueira-SilvaLife and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. cristinasilva@med.uminho.pt.

Funding

Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [BD -0793/2021] and DOI identifier, https://doi.org/10.54499/2021.07973.BDFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [UID/05704/2025] and DOI identifier https://doi.org/10.54499/UID/05704/2025Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [UID/06304/2025] DOI identifier https://doi.org/10.54499/UID/06304/2025 and [LA/P/0050/2020] DOI identifier https://doi.org/10.54499/LA/P/2020 and by the project NORTE2030-FEDER01786400, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2030), under the PORTUGAL 2030 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionPortuguese is the fifth most spoken language worldwide. However, no validated patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) is available to assess the impact of vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) symptoms in Portuguese-speaking women. This study aimed to culturally adapt and psychometrically validate the European Portuguese version of the Day-to-Day Impact of Vaginal Ageing questionnaire (DIVA), herein renamed DIVAS-Q (Day-to-Day Impact of Vulvovaginal Atrophy Symptoms Questionnaire), to reflect vulvovaginal atrophy Symptoms across different age groups. Also, deliberately broadened the conceptual scope for symptomatic adult women across reproductive stages in Portugal. DESIGN AND

methodsA multicentre observational study was conducted in Portugal, including pre- and post-menopausal women reporting at least one symptom of vulvovaginal atrophy. Participants were recruited from four clinical settings (public and private hospitals, private practice, and primary health care). Translation followed a standardised, multistep forward-backwards cultural adaptation protocol. Psychometric evaluation comprised descriptive analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with WLSMV/DWLS estimation for ordinal indicators, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega), item-total correlations, test-retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), convergent and discriminant validity, and known-groups validity based on the Vulvovaginal Symptom Questionnaire (VSQ) symptom-burden groups.

resultsA total of 291 women completed the short version (19 items), and 243 sexually active women completed the long version (23 items) of the DIVAS-Q. CFA with WLSMV/DWLS estimation supported the original four-factor structure (daily activities, emotional well-being, sexual function, and self-concept/body image) for both versions, with good model fit (scaled CFI/TLI = 0.981/0.978 and RMSEA = 0.027 for the short version; scaled CFI/TLI = 0.973/0.970 and RMSEA = 0.033 for the long version; SRMR = 0.035-0.040). Internal consistency was excellent across all domains (Cronbach's alpha = 0.856-0.960), with strong item-total correlations and average variance extracted values above recommended thresholds. Test-retest reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.982-0.994; 95% CIs consistently above 0.95). Known-groups validity was supported by significantly higher DIVAS-Q scores among women with higher VSQ symptom burden, with large effect sizes across domains.

conclusionsThe European Portuguese DIVAS-Q demonstrated good psychometric properties for assessing the day-to-day impact of vulvovaginal atrophy-related symptoms among symptomatic adult women in Portugal. The findings support its use in clinical and research contexts in Portugal, but further studies are needed before extending its use to other Portuguese-speaking populations or using it to monitor clinically meaningful change over time.

Indexed as

Patient Reported Outcome MeasuresVaginaVaginal DiseasesVulvaAdultAgedAtrophyFemaleHumansMiddle AgedPortugalPsychometricsQuality of LifeReproducibility of ResultsSurveys and QuestionnairesFemale sexual functionPatient-reported outcomesQuality of LifeQuestionnaire validationVulvovaginal atrophy

Identifiers

PMID42611147
PMCPMC13486427

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.