This study examined the relationship between various subtypes of positive and negative sexual cog... more This study examined the relationship between various subtypes of positive and negative sexual cognitions (NSC) based on their content (intimate, exploratory, sadomasochistic, impersonal) and sexual functioning, including aspects of sexual response (desire), sexual motivation (sexual excitation and sexual inhibition), and cognitive-affective domains (satisfaction). Participants were 789 Spanish adults (322 men and 467 women) who were in a heterosexual relationship of at least 6 months duration. Overall, the men reported more frequent exploratory and impersonal positive sexual cognitions than did the women. The men and women did not differ in the frequency of their positive intimate and sadomasochistic cognitions or in any of their NSC. Using canonical correlation, the results revealed that, after controlling for the overall frequency of NSC, the men and women who reported a higher frequency of all subtypes of positive sexual cognitions reported more dyadic and solitary sexual desire, more propensity to get sexually excited, and less sexual inhibition. A second canonical variate was identified for both the men and the women that revealed different patterns of association between the subtypes of cognitions and specific areas of sexual functioning, highlighting the role of positive, intimate cognitions for dyadic aspects of sexual functioning. The subtypes of NSC were not associated with poorer sexual functioning for either men or women, perhaps because they, on average, occurred infrequently. The findings were discussed in terms of the relationship between the specific content of sexual cognitions and the sexual functioning of men and women.
Cuadernos de medicina psicosomática y psiquiatria de enlace, 2005
Resumen El deseo sexual humano se explica a partir de modelos multicomponentes que incluyen facto... more Resumen El deseo sexual humano se explica a partir de modelos multicomponentes que incluyen factores neuroendocrinos, psicológicos y sociales. El objetivo de este estudio es establecer el grado en que algunas de estas variables (afectividad, estrés diario y ansiedad heterosocial) se relacionan con el deseo sexual. La muestra, compuesta por 201 adultos jóvenes (100 hombres y 101 mujeres), cumplimentó la Escala de Afecto Positivo y Negativo (PANAS), el Cuestionario de Estrés Diario (CED-44), el Test de Autoafirmaciones de ...
Se examinó la validez de la versión española de las Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scales–Sh... more Se examinó la validez de la versión española de las Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scales–Short Form (SIS/SES-SF), relacionándo las con excitación subjetiva y respuesta genital ante estímulos sexuales. Una muestra de 164 jóvenes heterosexuales completó el SIS/SES-SF y el MGH-SFQ. Después realizaron una tarea experimental consistente en la visualización de un vídeo de contenido neutro y un video con contenido sexual explícito, mientras se evaluaba la respuesta genital y la excitación subjetiva. Los resultados mostraron diferencias significativas entre el vídeo neutro y el erótico en la excitación objetiva y subjetiva en ambos sexos. Se obtuvieron correlaciones significativas entre SES y excitación subjetiva en mujeres. La propensión a excitarse explicó el 18% de la varianza de la excitación subjetiva y el 6% de las sensaciones genitales femeninas. La inhibición sexual relacionada con el miedo a la ejecución sexual tuvo capacidad para discriminar dificultades en el funcionamiento...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021
Psychological-psychiatric factors have a different effect on sexual functioning in men and women.... more Psychological-psychiatric factors have a different effect on sexual functioning in men and women. This research aimed to examine the association between psychopathological dimensions and dimensions of sexual functioning in Spanish young adults in two studies. Study 1 examined sexual functioning and psychopathological dimensions in 700 women and 516 men. Study 2 conducted an experimental laboratory task to evaluate subjective sexual arousal and genital sensations when watching visual sexual stimuli in a subsample of participants from Study 1 (143 women and 123 men). As a result, the first study showed that depression and anxiety-related symptoms had a negative effect, both in men and women, and having a partner had a positive influence on the dimensions of sexual functioning. The second study showed that anxiety symptoms were positively associated with subjective sexual arousal in both men and women, and anxiety was associated with the assessment of genital sensations in men. The dif...
The aim of this study was to explain the masturbation frequency and sexual relationships in adole... more The aim of this study was to explain the masturbation frequency and sexual relationships in adolescents based on age, religious adherence, erotophilia, attitudes toward sexual fantasies and masturbation, and the traditional sexual double standard. A sample of 1120 Peruvian adolescents aged 13–17 years responded to a socio-demographic questionnaire and different scales about sexuality. The frequency of masturbation and sexual relationships, as well as in the sexual attitudes evaluated differed by sex, with boys scoring higher. The masturbation frequency was explained by erotophilia in boys, and by positive attitudes toward sexual fantasies in both sexes. The frequency of sexual relationships was explained by age and positive attitudes toward sexual fantasies in boys and only by the latter in girls. Positive attitudes toward sexual fantasies stand out as a variable for understanding sexual activity in adolescents.
RESUMEN El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar los efectos a largo plazo de una dosis de 10 mili... more RESUMEN El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar los efectos a largo plazo de una dosis de 10 miligramos de diazepam sobre los niveles de depresión y ansiedad (ansiedad-estado, ansiedad-rasgo y ansiedad social) en una muestra de 42 sujetos jóvenes sanos, que pasó de forma contrabalanceada por tres condiciones experimentales. En cada una de estas condiciones los sujetos llenaron diversas pruebas. Los resultados muestran que el diazepam solamente reduce los niveles de ansiedad-estado en las mujeres, no encontrándose ningún efecto ansiolítico ni antidepresivo en la muestra de los hom-bres, lo que pone de manifiesto la necesidad de adaptar las dosis de benzodiazepinas en función del género al momento de prescribir estos psicofármacos. A partir de los resultados obtenidos, se discuten los efectos ansiolíticos y antidepresivos del diazepam y se plantean posibles explicacio-nes de las diferencias de género a partir de la relación entre hormonas sexuales y benzodiazepinas. ABSTRACT The goal ...
Sexual fantasies have been generally described as sexual thoughts with erotic content which are e... more Sexual fantasies have been generally described as sexual thoughts with erotic content which are experienced as pleasant. However, the term “sexual cognitions” is a broader term than sexual fantasies, which distinguishes between positive and negative sexual cognitions. In this work, we review the different lines derived from research about both sexual fantasies and sexual cognitions ‐although research about the latter is scarce-. We address the following aspects: 1) the assessment of their frequency and content, 2) the factors that are associated with their production, 3) the similarities and differences between men and women, 4) the role they play on sexual functioning, through their relationship with desire, excitation and sexual satisfaction, 5) their presence in individuals who have perpetrated sexual aggression and 6) in individuals who have been victims of sexual abuse. Finally, we will describe the limitations of previous research and we will propose some aspects that should b...
BACKGROUND The Sexual Double Standard Scale (SDSS) is one of the most widely-used scales for eval... more BACKGROUND The Sexual Double Standard Scale (SDSS) is one of the most widely-used scales for evaluating the Sexual Double Standard (SDS) and the Spanish version of the scale displays adequate psychometric properties in the adult Spanish population. The aim of this study is to examine the factorial invariance and differential item functioning (DIF) of the Spanish version according to sex, education level, and age, with the objective of describing and comparing SDS based on these variables. METHOD A sample of 3,838 heterosexual participants was used (1,908 men and 1,930 women) between the ages of 18 and 90. RESULTS The results showed that the factorial structure of the SDSS is invariant in terms of sex and education level; with none of these items displaying DIF. Only items 11 and 14 display DIF in terms of age and, therefore, it is recommended that these items be excluded when making comparisons between age ranges. The association of SDSS with sex, education level, and age follows th...
BACKGROUND Sexual fantasies are described as thoughts or mental images with sexual content. The H... more BACKGROUND Sexual fantasies are described as thoughts or mental images with sexual content. The Hurlbert Index of Sexual Fantasy (HISF) evaluates the positive attitude towards sexual fantasies. The objective of this study was to provide validity evidence of the Spanish version of the HISF and to present its standard scores. METHOD The sample was composed of 3,458 adults from the general Spanish population (1,641 men; 1,817 women), distributed across age groups (18-34, 35-49, and over 50 years old). RESULTS The unifactorial structure of the Spanish version of the HISF showed strict measurement invariance across sex, age range, and education level. Positive attitudes towards sexual fantasies significantly correlated with erotophilia, sexual assertiveness, sexual desire, and sexual functioning. Also, the scale was useful for differentiating between individuals with sexual functioning difficulties and individuals with no difficulties. Finally, the standard scores were obtained based on ...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021
Background: Sexual attitudes are related to the expression of sexuality and have been associated ... more Background: Sexual attitudes are related to the expression of sexuality and have been associated with indicators for sexual health. The main aim of this study was to determine the explanatory capacity of general (i.e., erotophilia) and specific (i.e., toward sexual fantasies and masturbation) sexual attitudes on different sexual functioning dimensions (sexual desire, sexual arousal, lubrication/erection, ability to have an orgasm and orgasm satisfaction). Methods: The sample consisted of 2000 heterosexual adults (1044 women, 956 men) aged 18–83 years. Results: The explanatory models for women mainly showed that positive attitudes toward sexual fantasies (β range = −0.35, −0.249) and age (β range = −0.111, 0.086) explained sexual function. The models proposed for men revealed a more diverse pattern, although the variable essential for explaining sexual function was a positive attitude toward sexual fantasies (β range = −0.266, −0.097). Conclusions: These results indicate that specifi...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020
The Sexual Double Standard (SDS) is an instrument used to judge sexual behavior, in which men are... more The Sexual Double Standard (SDS) is an instrument used to judge sexual behavior, in which men are usually granted greater sexual freedom, while the same sexual behavior is condemned in women. Culture can be a relevant variable for the SDS. Therefore, we have examined the measurement invariance of the Sexual Double Standard Scale (SDSS) across the Spanish and Colombian populations, comparing this phenomenon by country and gender. The scale comprises two factors: sexual freedom and sexual shyness. The sample consisted of 1832 heterosexual adults (46.3% men, 53.7% women), 54.3% of whom were Spanish and 45.7% Colombian. Strong invariance was found. The reliability values were good for country and gender. Men and women from both countries supported greater freedom for themselves compared to the other gender. Furthermore, Spanish women, unlike their Colombian counterparts, supported greater sexual shyness for men. Thus, what some authors have labeled as a "reverse sexual double stand...
This study examined the relationship between various subtypes of positive and negative sexual cog... more This study examined the relationship between various subtypes of positive and negative sexual cognitions (NSC) based on their content (intimate, exploratory, sadomasochistic, impersonal) and sexual functioning, including aspects of sexual response (desire), sexual motivation (sexual excitation and sexual inhibition), and cognitive-affective domains (satisfaction). Participants were 789 Spanish adults (322 men and 467 women) who were in a heterosexual relationship of at least 6 months duration. Overall, the men reported more frequent exploratory and impersonal positive sexual cognitions than did the women. The men and women did not differ in the frequency of their positive intimate and sadomasochistic cognitions or in any of their NSC. Using canonical correlation, the results revealed that, after controlling for the overall frequency of NSC, the men and women who reported a higher frequency of all subtypes of positive sexual cognitions reported more dyadic and solitary sexual desire, more propensity to get sexually excited, and less sexual inhibition. A second canonical variate was identified for both the men and the women that revealed different patterns of association between the subtypes of cognitions and specific areas of sexual functioning, highlighting the role of positive, intimate cognitions for dyadic aspects of sexual functioning. The subtypes of NSC were not associated with poorer sexual functioning for either men or women, perhaps because they, on average, occurred infrequently. The findings were discussed in terms of the relationship between the specific content of sexual cognitions and the sexual functioning of men and women.
Cuadernos de medicina psicosomática y psiquiatria de enlace, 2005
Resumen El deseo sexual humano se explica a partir de modelos multicomponentes que incluyen facto... more Resumen El deseo sexual humano se explica a partir de modelos multicomponentes que incluyen factores neuroendocrinos, psicológicos y sociales. El objetivo de este estudio es establecer el grado en que algunas de estas variables (afectividad, estrés diario y ansiedad heterosocial) se relacionan con el deseo sexual. La muestra, compuesta por 201 adultos jóvenes (100 hombres y 101 mujeres), cumplimentó la Escala de Afecto Positivo y Negativo (PANAS), el Cuestionario de Estrés Diario (CED-44), el Test de Autoafirmaciones de ...
Se examinó la validez de la versión española de las Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scales–Sh... more Se examinó la validez de la versión española de las Sexual Inhibition/Sexual Excitation Scales–Short Form (SIS/SES-SF), relacionándo las con excitación subjetiva y respuesta genital ante estímulos sexuales. Una muestra de 164 jóvenes heterosexuales completó el SIS/SES-SF y el MGH-SFQ. Después realizaron una tarea experimental consistente en la visualización de un vídeo de contenido neutro y un video con contenido sexual explícito, mientras se evaluaba la respuesta genital y la excitación subjetiva. Los resultados mostraron diferencias significativas entre el vídeo neutro y el erótico en la excitación objetiva y subjetiva en ambos sexos. Se obtuvieron correlaciones significativas entre SES y excitación subjetiva en mujeres. La propensión a excitarse explicó el 18% de la varianza de la excitación subjetiva y el 6% de las sensaciones genitales femeninas. La inhibición sexual relacionada con el miedo a la ejecución sexual tuvo capacidad para discriminar dificultades en el funcionamiento...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021
Psychological-psychiatric factors have a different effect on sexual functioning in men and women.... more Psychological-psychiatric factors have a different effect on sexual functioning in men and women. This research aimed to examine the association between psychopathological dimensions and dimensions of sexual functioning in Spanish young adults in two studies. Study 1 examined sexual functioning and psychopathological dimensions in 700 women and 516 men. Study 2 conducted an experimental laboratory task to evaluate subjective sexual arousal and genital sensations when watching visual sexual stimuli in a subsample of participants from Study 1 (143 women and 123 men). As a result, the first study showed that depression and anxiety-related symptoms had a negative effect, both in men and women, and having a partner had a positive influence on the dimensions of sexual functioning. The second study showed that anxiety symptoms were positively associated with subjective sexual arousal in both men and women, and anxiety was associated with the assessment of genital sensations in men. The dif...
The aim of this study was to explain the masturbation frequency and sexual relationships in adole... more The aim of this study was to explain the masturbation frequency and sexual relationships in adolescents based on age, religious adherence, erotophilia, attitudes toward sexual fantasies and masturbation, and the traditional sexual double standard. A sample of 1120 Peruvian adolescents aged 13–17 years responded to a socio-demographic questionnaire and different scales about sexuality. The frequency of masturbation and sexual relationships, as well as in the sexual attitudes evaluated differed by sex, with boys scoring higher. The masturbation frequency was explained by erotophilia in boys, and by positive attitudes toward sexual fantasies in both sexes. The frequency of sexual relationships was explained by age and positive attitudes toward sexual fantasies in boys and only by the latter in girls. Positive attitudes toward sexual fantasies stand out as a variable for understanding sexual activity in adolescents.
RESUMEN El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar los efectos a largo plazo de una dosis de 10 mili... more RESUMEN El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar los efectos a largo plazo de una dosis de 10 miligramos de diazepam sobre los niveles de depresión y ansiedad (ansiedad-estado, ansiedad-rasgo y ansiedad social) en una muestra de 42 sujetos jóvenes sanos, que pasó de forma contrabalanceada por tres condiciones experimentales. En cada una de estas condiciones los sujetos llenaron diversas pruebas. Los resultados muestran que el diazepam solamente reduce los niveles de ansiedad-estado en las mujeres, no encontrándose ningún efecto ansiolítico ni antidepresivo en la muestra de los hom-bres, lo que pone de manifiesto la necesidad de adaptar las dosis de benzodiazepinas en función del género al momento de prescribir estos psicofármacos. A partir de los resultados obtenidos, se discuten los efectos ansiolíticos y antidepresivos del diazepam y se plantean posibles explicacio-nes de las diferencias de género a partir de la relación entre hormonas sexuales y benzodiazepinas. ABSTRACT The goal ...
Sexual fantasies have been generally described as sexual thoughts with erotic content which are e... more Sexual fantasies have been generally described as sexual thoughts with erotic content which are experienced as pleasant. However, the term “sexual cognitions” is a broader term than sexual fantasies, which distinguishes between positive and negative sexual cognitions. In this work, we review the different lines derived from research about both sexual fantasies and sexual cognitions ‐although research about the latter is scarce-. We address the following aspects: 1) the assessment of their frequency and content, 2) the factors that are associated with their production, 3) the similarities and differences between men and women, 4) the role they play on sexual functioning, through their relationship with desire, excitation and sexual satisfaction, 5) their presence in individuals who have perpetrated sexual aggression and 6) in individuals who have been victims of sexual abuse. Finally, we will describe the limitations of previous research and we will propose some aspects that should b...
BACKGROUND The Sexual Double Standard Scale (SDSS) is one of the most widely-used scales for eval... more BACKGROUND The Sexual Double Standard Scale (SDSS) is one of the most widely-used scales for evaluating the Sexual Double Standard (SDS) and the Spanish version of the scale displays adequate psychometric properties in the adult Spanish population. The aim of this study is to examine the factorial invariance and differential item functioning (DIF) of the Spanish version according to sex, education level, and age, with the objective of describing and comparing SDS based on these variables. METHOD A sample of 3,838 heterosexual participants was used (1,908 men and 1,930 women) between the ages of 18 and 90. RESULTS The results showed that the factorial structure of the SDSS is invariant in terms of sex and education level; with none of these items displaying DIF. Only items 11 and 14 display DIF in terms of age and, therefore, it is recommended that these items be excluded when making comparisons between age ranges. The association of SDSS with sex, education level, and age follows th...
BACKGROUND Sexual fantasies are described as thoughts or mental images with sexual content. The H... more BACKGROUND Sexual fantasies are described as thoughts or mental images with sexual content. The Hurlbert Index of Sexual Fantasy (HISF) evaluates the positive attitude towards sexual fantasies. The objective of this study was to provide validity evidence of the Spanish version of the HISF and to present its standard scores. METHOD The sample was composed of 3,458 adults from the general Spanish population (1,641 men; 1,817 women), distributed across age groups (18-34, 35-49, and over 50 years old). RESULTS The unifactorial structure of the Spanish version of the HISF showed strict measurement invariance across sex, age range, and education level. Positive attitudes towards sexual fantasies significantly correlated with erotophilia, sexual assertiveness, sexual desire, and sexual functioning. Also, the scale was useful for differentiating between individuals with sexual functioning difficulties and individuals with no difficulties. Finally, the standard scores were obtained based on ...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021
Background: Sexual attitudes are related to the expression of sexuality and have been associated ... more Background: Sexual attitudes are related to the expression of sexuality and have been associated with indicators for sexual health. The main aim of this study was to determine the explanatory capacity of general (i.e., erotophilia) and specific (i.e., toward sexual fantasies and masturbation) sexual attitudes on different sexual functioning dimensions (sexual desire, sexual arousal, lubrication/erection, ability to have an orgasm and orgasm satisfaction). Methods: The sample consisted of 2000 heterosexual adults (1044 women, 956 men) aged 18–83 years. Results: The explanatory models for women mainly showed that positive attitudes toward sexual fantasies (β range = −0.35, −0.249) and age (β range = −0.111, 0.086) explained sexual function. The models proposed for men revealed a more diverse pattern, although the variable essential for explaining sexual function was a positive attitude toward sexual fantasies (β range = −0.266, −0.097). Conclusions: These results indicate that specifi...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020
The Sexual Double Standard (SDS) is an instrument used to judge sexual behavior, in which men are... more The Sexual Double Standard (SDS) is an instrument used to judge sexual behavior, in which men are usually granted greater sexual freedom, while the same sexual behavior is condemned in women. Culture can be a relevant variable for the SDS. Therefore, we have examined the measurement invariance of the Sexual Double Standard Scale (SDSS) across the Spanish and Colombian populations, comparing this phenomenon by country and gender. The scale comprises two factors: sexual freedom and sexual shyness. The sample consisted of 1832 heterosexual adults (46.3% men, 53.7% women), 54.3% of whom were Spanish and 45.7% Colombian. Strong invariance was found. The reliability values were good for country and gender. Men and women from both countries supported greater freedom for themselves compared to the other gender. Furthermore, Spanish women, unlike their Colombian counterparts, supported greater sexual shyness for men. Thus, what some authors have labeled as a "reverse sexual double stand...
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