Sexual health research has a long history. In its beginnings in 1995, the focus of interest centred on the study of the factors facilitating and maintaining risk behaviours for HIV infection, given that at that time AIDS prevention was a major objective in Western society. Thanks to funding from various public agencies, we were able to isolate and analyse separately the various factors responsible for the spread of the pandemic. The results of our research, which were collected in several doctoral theses, were disseminated at conferences, in articles of national and international relevance and in books compiling the results.
From then on, the focus was extended to the promotion of sexual health beyond AIDS prevention, including different groups and new objectives such as health promotion in male sex workers, prevention of sexual abuse in adults with intellectual disabilities, affective-sexual education in adolescents and young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder or the identification of myths that hinder the healthy sexual development of both adolescents and older people. This broadening of the spectrum of themes and groups led us to modify the acronym with which we became known from the beginning, which was mainly focused on AIDS prevention (UNISEXSIDA), to another that, while maintaining the spirit of the previous acronym, would include a broader dimension of health promotion (SALUSEX-UNISEXSIDA).
In addressing the objectives associated with these areas, we have been forced to delve into aspects such as the search for sexual sensations, sexual compulsiveness, homophobia, the effects of involuntary exposure of children to pornography on the Internet, the influence of social networks on psychosexual development, generating phenomena such as sexting; and more recently, cybersex.
In the opposite direction to the specialisation required by the particular problems of the different objectives and groups, we have also been obliged to increase research into the basic aspects of not only sexual but also general development, especially in the child population, as sometimes certain behaviours and attitudes are only a manifestation of the peculiar development experienced, for example, by children who have spent an excessive and unfavourable amount of time in foster care. Emotional and affective development throughout the life cycle is therefore an essential line of study.
This broad line of work is the object of study of an inter-university team that brings together researchers from two universities, the Universitat Jaume I of Castelló and the Universitat de València, who have a track record of more than 15 years of collaborative work and high productivity that has generated numerous contributions to national and international conferences, book chapters, monographs, theses and above all publications in high impact journals in the area.
- Promoting sexual health throughout the life cycle. This objective is based on a positive view of sexuality and assumes that sexuality manifests itself in different ways throughout the life cycle. In the case of children, our research has focused on the prevention of sexual abuse. In adolescents, we focus on the prevention of unwanted pregnancies and the risks of sexting, which consists of sending images of oneself or others with sexual content. In young people and adults we analyse the aspects involved in the sexual satisfaction of people with sexual diversity. We also analyse body image and other aspects involved in quality of life in women during menopause.
- Prevention of risky sexual behaviour. In this objective, which is the one with which the line was initiated and for which we have the most work, we have focused on identifying the variables that predict risk behaviour leading to HIV infection. We have recently started a cross-cultural study involving Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Portugal and Italy, as well as different regions of Spain, where we are analysing the behaviours, attitudes and motivations that lead adolescents and young people to practice sexting.
- Development of affective-sexual education programmes for groups with functional diversity. Specifically, we have developed an affective-sexual education programme for adolescents with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and another one for adults with intellectual functional diversity. The latter is already tested (it is the subject of a doctoral thesis that is currently in progress) and will soon be published by the Pirámide publishing house.
- Conducting studies on the prevalence of cybersex, involuntary exposure to sexual content on the Internet, sexting, etc. We are developing a European project in which many countries are participating (Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Czechoslovakia, among others) which consists of an epidemiological study of recreational, risky and pathological consumption of cybersex among young people aged 18 to 25. This study is carried out after having completed a national study with the same objective and is currently developing an online intervention programme for people with pathological consumption.
- Analysis of the characteristics of groups at risk of social exclusion: male sex workers, transsexuals, etc.". Analysis of the characteristics of groups at risk of social exclusion: male sex workers. In 1998 we concluded the first descriptive study on the health, social and psychological characteristics of male prostitutes in the 1990s. It was a pioneering study, the first one carried out in our country, which was published not only in articles in specialised journals, but also in full in a monograph published in Promolibro. A few years ago, one of the members of the team updated the information by carrying out a doctoral thesis co-directed by myself and another member of the team, Prof. Ballester.
Promotion of sexual health in different groups such as male sex workers, ASD or ID with different objectives such as affective-sexual education to prevent abuse, prevention of risky sexual practices and other behaviours such as sexting or cybersex.
- CASTRO CALVO, JESUS
- PDI-Titular d'Universitat
- Responsables de Gestio Academica
- Coordinador/a Practiques Ext Centre
- FERNANDEZ GARCIA, ANGUSTIAS OLGA
- Alumn.-Servei de Formacio Permanent
- GIL JULIA, BEATRIZ
- PDI-Titular d'Universitat
- MORELL MENGUAL, VICENTE JAVIER
- Alumn.-Servei de Formacio Permanent
- ABENGOZAR TORRES, M. CARMEN
- PDI-Titular d'Universitat
Partners
- Rafael Ballester Arnal - Universitat Jaume I de Castelló
- Cristina Gimenez García - Universitat Jaume I de Castelló
- Estefanía Ruiz Palomino - Universitat Jaume I de Castelló
- ExpandirMORELL MENGUAL, VICENTE JAVIERAlumn.-Servei de Formacio Permanent
Blasco Ibáñez Campus
Av. Blasco Ibáñez, 21
46010 València (Valencia)
