Promotion of sexual health in the general population and with functional diversity - SALUSEX

Reference of the Group:

GIUV2016-341

 
Description of research activity:
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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Web:

http://www.uv.es/salusex

 
Scientific-technical goals:
  • Promocion de la salud sexual a lo largo del ciclo vital. Este objetivo se fundamenta sobre una vision positiva de la sexualidad y parte de que esta se manifiesta de diversos modos a lo largo de todo el ciclo vital. En el caso de los niños nuestra investigacion se ha centrado en la prevencion del abuso sexual. En los adolescentes en la prevencion de embarazos no deseados y de los riesgos del sexting que consiste en enviar imagenes propias o de otras personas con contenido sexual. En jovenes y adultos analizamos los aspectos implicados en la satisfaccion sexual de las personas con diversidad sexual. Tambien analizamos la imagen corporal y otros aspectos implicados en la calidad de vida en mujeres durante la menopausia.
  • Prevencion de comportamientos sexuales de riesgo. En este objetivo que es con el que se inicio la linea y del que con mas trabajos contamos nos hemos centrado en la identificacion de las variables que predicen el comportamiento de riesgo conducente a la infeccion por VIH. Recientemente hemos iniciado un estudio transcultural en el que participa Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Portugal e Italia, ademas de distintes regiones del estado espanyol, donde analizamos los comportamientos, actitudes y motivacions que conducen a los adolescentes y jovenes a practicar el sexting.
  • Elaboracion de programas de Educacion afectivo-sexual a colectivos con diversidad funcional. Concretamente hemos desarrollado un programa de educacion afectivo-sexual para adolescentes con Trastorno de Espectro Autista y otro para adultos con diversidad funcional intelectual. El segundo esta ya testado (es objeto de una tesis doctoral que se encuentra en proceso) y va a ser proximamente publicado en la editoral Piramide
  • Realizacion de estudios sobre prevalencia de cibersexo, exposicion involuntaria a contenidos sexuales en Internet, sexting, etc. Estamos elaborando un proyecto europeo en el que participan numerosos paises (Alemania, Reino Unido, Italia, Checoslovaquia, entre otros) que consiste en un estudio epidemiologico del consumo de recreativo, de riesgo y patologico del cibersexo entre jovenes de 18 a 25 años. Este estudio se realiza tras haber concluido un estudio nacional con este mismo objetivo y estar elaborando en estos momentos un programa de intervencion online para las personas con un consumo patologico.
  • Analisis de las caracteristicas de colectivos en riesgo de exclusion social: trabajadores masculinos del sexo, transexuales, etc.". Analisis de las caracteristicas de colectivos en riesgo de exclusion social: trabajadores masculinos del sexo. En 1998 concluimos el primer estudio descriptivo sobre las caracteristicas sanitarias, sociales y psicologicas de las personas que ejercian la prostitucion masculina en la decada de los 90. Fue un estudio pionero, el primero realizado en nuestro pais que fue publicado ademas de en los articulos en revistes especializadas, de forma integra en un monografico publicado en Promolibro. Hace unos años uno de los miembros del equipo actualizo la informacion llevando a cabo una tesis doctoral codirigida por mi y por otro miembro del equipo, el prof. Ballester.
 
Research lines:
  • 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.
 
Group members:
Name Nature of participation Entity Description
M DOLORES GIL LLARIODirectorUniversitat de València
Research team
VICENTE JAVIER MORELL MENGUALMemberUniversitat de València
ANGUSTIAS OLGA FERNANDEZ GARCIAMemberUniversitat de València
VERONICA ESTRUCH GARCIAMemberUniversitat de València
M CARMEN ABENGOZAR TORRESCollaboratorUniversitat de València
RAFAEL BALLESTER ARNALCollaboratorUniversitat Jaume Ifull university professor
IRENE DIAZ RODRIGUEZCollaboratorAfanas Cádizresearcher
CRISTINA GIMENEZ GARCIACollaboratorUniversitat Jaume Ipre-tenured lecturer
ESTEFANIA RUIZ PALOMINOCollaboratorUniversitat Jaume Ifull-time trainee professor (doctor)
 
CNAE:
  • -
 
Associated structure:
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
 
Keywords:
  • salud; sexualidad; prevención; cibersexo; TMS; género; VIH; adolescentes;