GIUV2016-341
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...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.
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- Promoting sexual health throughout the life cycle. This objective is based on a positive view of sexuality and recognizes that it manifests itself in diverse ways throughout the life cycle. In the case of children, our research has focused on the prevention of sexual abuse. In adolescents, it has focused on the prevention of unwanted pregnancies and the risks of sexting, which involves sending sexually explicit images of oneself or others. In young people and adults, we analyze the aspects involved in the sexual satisfaction of people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. We also analyze body image and other aspects related to the quality of life of women during menopause.
- Prevention of risky sexual behaviors. This objective, which initiated this line of research and on which we have the most extensive work, has focused on identifying the variables that predict risky behavior leading to HIV infection. We recently began a cross-cultural study involving Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Portugal, and Italy, as well as various regions of Spain, where we are analyzing the behaviors, attitudes, and motivations that lead adolescents and young adults to engage in sexting.
- Development of sex education programs for people with disabilities. Specifically, we have developed a sex education program for adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and another for adults with intellectual disabilities. The latter has already been tested (it is the subject of a doctoral thesis currently in progress) and will soon be published by Pirámide.
- We are conducting studies on the prevalence of cybersex, involuntary exposure to sexual content online, sexting, etc. We are developing a European project involving numerous countries (Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Czechoslovakia, among others) that consists of an epidemiological study of recreational, risky, and pathological cybersex use among young people aged 18 to 25. This study follows the completion of a national study with the same objective, and we are currently developing an online intervention program for individuals with pathological use.
- Analysis of the characteristics of groups at risk of social exclusion: male sex workers, transsexuals, etc. In 1998, we completed the first descriptive study on the health, social, and psychological characteristics of men engaged in prostitution during the 1990s. It was a pioneering study, the first of its kind in Spain, and was published not only in articles in specialized journals but also in its entirety in a monograph published by Promolibro. A few years ago, one of the team members updated the information by completing a doctoral thesis co-directed by myself and another team member, Professor Ballester.
- SALUSEX.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.
| Name | Nature of participation | Entity | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| M DOLORES GIL LLARIO | Director | Universitat de València | |
| Research team | |||
| ANGUSTIAS OLGA FERNANDEZ GARCIA | Member | Universitat de València | |
| VERONICA ESTRUCH GARCIA | Member | Universitat de València | |
| M CARMEN ABENGOZAR TORRES | Collaborator | Universitat de València | |
| RAFAEL BALLESTER ARNAL | Collaborator | Universitat Jaume I | Full university professor |
| IRENE DIAZ RODRIGUEZ | Collaborator | Afanas Cádiz | Researcher |
| CRISTINA GIMENEZ GARCIA | Collaborator | Universitat Jaume I | Pre-tenured lecturer |
| ESTEFANIA RUIZ PALOMINO | Collaborator | Universitat Jaume I | Full-time trainee professor (doctor) |
- Research and experimental development in the social sciencies and humanities
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- SALUD
- TEENAGERS
- HIV
- GENDER
- SEXUALITY
- PREVENTION
- CYBERSEX
- TMS
