Differences in the Sexual Life of Spanish Men During the COVID-19 Lockdown by Sexual Orientation.

BACKGROUND: The pandemic affected the psychological well-being and sexuality of the population, especially among vulnerable groups such as men from sexual minorities. METHOD: In Spain, a total of 320 heterosexual men and 151 sexual minority men, aged between 18 and 60, answered an ad hoc online questionnaire about sexual behavior during the lockdown. RESULTS: Compared to heterosexual men, during the lockdown, sexual minority men masturbated more, engaged in more sexual activities online, and had more sex with non-cohabitants. Heterosexual men had more sexual relations with their partners. Living with a partner during the lockdown predicted an improvement in sex life, especially for heterosexual men. Furthermore, the emotional impact of lockdown was a predictor of a worsening sex life regardless of sexual orientation. CONCLUSIONS: Future interventions should take into account that men's sex lives are mediated by the emotional impact of the moment, especially among sexual minority men, since the quality of their sex life shows a weaker relationship with some of the protective variables studied (living with a partner).

Psychometric Properties of the Sexual Compulsivity Scale in Men Who Have Sex with Men in Spanish Population.

The Sexual Compulsivity Scale (SCS) has been translated, adapted and validated in general Spanish population, making its application difficult in certain groups, such as men who have sex with men (MSM). This paper evaluates the psychometric properties of the SCS in a sample of MSM in Spain. The SCS was administered to 881 participants. The factorial structure of the SCS was examined with an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Both EFA and CFA confirmed a two-factor structure: (1) Interference of sexual behavior, and (2) Failure to control sexual impulses. Internal consistency was really good for the scale and also for both factors. The SCS also presented adequate psychometric properties. Thus, it is an appropriate measure for assessing sexual compulsivity in MSM, and a tool to be taken into account in future researches to reduce sexual risk behaviors in the MSM Spanish population.

RESUMEN: La Escala de Compulsividad Sexual (SCS) ha sido traducida, adaptada y validada en población general española, siendo difícil su aplicación en determinados colectivos, como los Hombres que tienen Sexo con Hombres (HSH). Este trabajo evalúa las propiedades psicométricas del SCS en una muestra de 881 HSH de España. La estructura factorial del SCS se examinó con un Análisis Factorial Exploratorio (AFE) y un Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio (AFC). Tanto el AFE como el AFC confirmaron una estructura de dos factores: (1) Interferencia del Comportamiento Sexual y (2) Problemas en el Control de los Impulsos Sexuales. La consistencia interna fue muy buena, tanto para la escala como para los dos factores. El SCS también presentó adecuadas propiedades psicométricas. Por tanto, es una herramienta adecuada para evaluar la compulsividad sexual en HSH, y una escala a tener en cuenta en futuras investigaciones para reducir las conductas sexuales de riesgo de HSH en población española.

Differences in the Sexual Life of Spanish Men During the COVID-19 Lockdown by Sexual Orientation / Diferencias en la Vida Sexual de los Hombres Españoles Durante el Confinamiento por la COVID-19 por Orientación Sexual

Background: The pandemic affected the psychological well-being and sexuality of the population, especially among vulnerable groups such as men from sexual minorities. Method: In Spain, a total of 320 heterosexual men and 151 sexual minority men, aged between 18 and 60, answered an ad hoc online questionnaire about sexual behavior during the lockdown. Results: Compared to heterosexual men, during the lockdown, sexual minority men masturbated more, engaged in more sexual activities online, and had more sex with non-cohabitants. Heterosexual men had more sexual relations with their partners. Living with a partner during the lockdown predicted an improvement in sex life, especially for heterosexual men. Furthermore, the emotional impact of lockdown was a predictor of a worsening sex life regardless of sexual orientation. Conclusions: Future interventions should take into account that men’s sex lives are mediated by the emotional impact of the moment, especially among sexual minority men, since the quality of their sex life shows a weaker relationship with some of the protective variables studied (living with a partner).(AU)

Antecedentes: La pandemia ha afectado al bienestar psicológico y a la sexualidad de la población, especialmente entre grupos vulnerables como los hombres de una minoría sexual. Método: En España, un total de 320 hombres heterosexuales y 151 hombres de minorías sexuales, de entre 18 y 60 años, respondieron un cuestionario online ad hoc sobre comportamiento sexual durante el confinamiento. Resultados: Durante el confinamiento, respecto a los hombres heterosexuales, los hombres de minorías sexuales se masturbaron más, realizaron más actividades sexuales en línea y tuvieron más sexo con no convivientes. En cambio, los hombres heterosexuales tuvieron más relaciones sexuales con su pareja. El hecho de vivir en pareja durante el confinamiento fue predictor de una mejoría de la vida sexual, sobre todo para los hombres heterosexuales. Además, el impacto emocional del confinamiento fue predictor de un empeoramiento de la vida sexual sin distinción por orientación sexual. Conclusiones: En futuras intervenciones habría que tener en cuenta que la vida sexual de los hombres está mediada por el impacto emocional del momento, especialmente entre los hombres de minorías sexuales, ya que su calidad de vida sexual muestra menor relación con algunas de las variables protectoras estudiadas (vivir en pareja).(AU)

Development and Validation of a Scale for Assessing the Interference of Chronic Primary Pain Conditions in Sexual Functioning: The Sex-Pain Questionnaire.

Chronic pain represents one of the main health public problems worldwide and significantly affects the sexual life of patients. However, no specific instruments of evaluation have been found that address this population. This study presents the SEX-PAIN Questionnaire, developed for identifying chronic pain's interference with sexual functioning among people with chronic pain. Methods. The validation has been carried out with a sample of 303 Spanish non-hospitalized patients with chronic pain diagnosis aged between 20 and 71 years old (Mage = 49.49; SD = 10.7). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) yielded 2-factor structure: Sexual and Relationship Dissatisfaction, and Chronic Pain Impact on Sexual Life. This structure was later verified through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Internal consistency (Omega) of each factor was .72 and .96, respectively. This study presents the psychometric properties of a new measure addressed to patients with chronic pain. This 17-items self-administered instrument can be a useful measure of the chronic pain's interference with sexual functioning among chronic pain patients. It represents the first original questionnaire known in Spanish language to date. This measure could potentially help researchers and clinicians to obtain key information to design appropriate healthcare interventions.Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/0092623X.2022.2039336 .

Development and psychometric properties of a self-report instrument for the assessment of sexual behaviour and concerns of people with mild intellectual disabilities (SEBECOMID-S).

BACKGROUND: This paper presents a description of the development and psychometric properties of a self-report instrument for the assessment of sexual behaviour and concerns of people with mild intellectual disabilities (SEBECOMID-S). METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The study included 281 people with mild intellectual disabilities. The psychometric properties were examined through exploratory factorial analysis, descriptive statistics, and reliability indices. RESULTS: The exploratory factor analyses offered a structure with three factors: concern about the appropriateness of their sexual behaviour, sexual practices performed, and safe sex practices. The model presents an excellent fit (χ2 /df = 1.10, RMSEA = 0.019, CFI = 0.997, TLI = 0.995, and SRMR = 0.065). General test reliability was good (α = 0.77, Ω = 0.76). CONCLUSIONS: SEBECOMID-S is a valid and reliable tool to obtain objective information about the sexual behaviour and concerns of people with mild intellectual disabilities. The use of this instrument will make it possible to adjust their training to their real experiences, making it more effective.

Estimating sexual knowledge of people with mild intellectual disability through a valid and reliable assessment scale: The ISK-ID.

BACKGROUND: Despite the relevance of assessing sexual knowledge in people with Intellectual Disability, there is a lack of appropriate assessment tools to measure this domain. The current study tests the psychometric properties of the new 'Inventory of Sexual Knowledge of people with Intellectual Disability' (ISK-ID). METHOD: 345 individuals with mild intellectual disability completed the ISK-ID before and after the implementation of a sexual education program. Psychometric properties of the ISK-ID were analysed according to Multidimensional Item Response Theory (MIRT). RESULTS: Its underlying factorial structure, along with parameters derived from the MIRT (item discrimination, difficulty, and participant's ability), support the use of the ISK-ID as a measure of sexual knowledge. Moreover, the ISK-ID was able to detect changes in the level of sexual knowledge resulting from educational interventions (i.e., responsiveness). CONCLUSIONS: The ISK-ID is an appropriate assessment tool to measure sexual knowledge in men and women with mild intellectual disability.

Emotion elicitation during music listening: Subjective self-reports, facial expression, and autonomic reactivity.

The use of music as emotional stimuli in experimental studies has grown in recent years. However, prior studies have mainly focused on self-reports and central measures, with a few works exploring the time course of psychophysiological correlates. Moreover, most of the previous research has been carried out either from the dimensional or categorical model but not combining both approaches to emotions. This study aimed to investigate subjective and physiological correlates of emotion elicitation through music, following the three-dimensional and the discrete emotion model. A sample of 50 healthy volunteers (25 women) took part in this experiment by listening to 42 film music excerpts (14 pleasant, 14 unpleasant, 14 neutral) presented during 8 s, while peripheral measures were continuously recorded. After music offset, affective dimensions (valence, energy arousal, and tension arousal) as well as discrete emotions (happiness, sadness, tenderness, fear, and anger) were collected using a 9-point scale. Results showed an effect of the music category on subjective and psychophysiological measures. In peripheral physiology, greater electrodermal activity, heart rate acceleration, and zygomatic responses, besides lower corrugator amplitude, were observed for pleasant excerpts in comparison to neutral and unpleasant music, from 2 s after stimulus onset until the end of its duration. Overall, our results add evidence for the efficacy of standardized film music excerpts to evoke powerful emotions in laboratory settings; thus, opening a path to explore interventions based on music in pathologies with underlying emotion deregulatory processes.

Pooled Time Series Modeling Reveals Smoking Habit Memory Pattern.

Smoking is a habit that is hard to break because nicotine is highly addictive and smoking behavior is strongly linked to multiple daily activities and routines. Here, we explored the effect of gender, age, day of the week, and previous smoking on the number of cigarettes smoked on any given day. Data consisted of daily records of the number of cigarettes participants smoked over an average period of 84 days. The sample included smokers (36 men and 26 women), aged between 18 and 26 years, who smoked at least five cigarettes a day and had smoked for at least 2 years. A panel data analysis was performed by way of multilevel pooled time series modeling. Smoking on any given day was a function of the number of cigarettes smoked on the previous day, and 2, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49, and 56 days previously, and the day of the week. Neither gender nor age influenced this pattern, with no multilevel effects being detected, thus the behavior of all participants fitted the same smoking model. These novel findings show empirically that smoking behavior is governed by firmly established temporal dependence patterns and inform temporal parameters for the rational design of smoking cessation programs.