Validation of the Spanish Version of the Massachusetts General Hospital-Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (MGH-SFQ) with Sexual Arousal Measures in Men

Objective

Provide new validity evidence of the Spanish version of the Massachusetts General Hospital-Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (MGH-SFQ) by associating its scores with measures of sexual arousal.

Method

In a sample of 48 men, using a quasi-experimental design, sexual functioning, propensity for sexual inhibition/excitation, subjective sexual arousal, and genital response (penile plethysmography recorded with Biopac MP150 equipment) were evaluated.

Results

Arousal and erection scores correlated with sexual inhibition due to the threat of performance failure (r = .29; p < .05) and genital response (r = .31; p < .05), respectively. Participants with difficulties in sexual functioning indicated greater sexual inhibition due to the threat of performance failure (p = .04) and lower intensity in their genital response (p = .05).

Conclusions

The validity of the measures obtained with the Spanish version of the MGH-SFQ is supported, showing the erection item to be useful for the detection of possible erectile disorders.

Study of Sexual Concordance in Men and Women with Different Typologies of Adherence to the Sexual Double Standard

Background/Objective

Sexual concordance (i.e., relationship between genital response and subjective sexual arousal) is higher in men than in women. Among the factors that could explain this difference would be the sexual double standard (SDS). Sexual concordance is examined by SDS typologies of adherence (egalitarian, man-favorable, and woman-favorable).

Method

During exposure to a film with sexual content, genital response (penile circumference/vaginal pulse amplitude) and self-reported sexual arousal were recorded in 104 young adults (42 men and 62 women), distributed into SDS typologies of adherence on the basis of their scores on the Sexual Double Standard Scale.

Results

Sexual concordance was obtained in men and women with egalitarian and man-favorable typology. Subjective sexual arousal explained a significant percentage of the variance in genital response in the egalitarian typology (men: R² = .32, p < .01; women: R² = .19, p < .05) and man-favorable typology (men: R² = .21, p < .05; women: R² = .23, p < .05).

Conclusions

Agreement between genital responsiveness and subjective sexual arousal depends on DES adherence typology.

Validity evidence and norms of the Spanish versión of the Hurlbert Index of Sexual Fantasy

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 sex and age range.

CONCLUSIONS

The Spanish version of the HISF is a reliable, valid, and invariant scale for assessing a positive attitude towards sexual fantasies in people with different sociodemographic characteristics.

Association between Psychopathological Dimensions and Sexual Functioning/Sexual Arousal in Young Adults

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 differences between the results of anxiety may be explained because sexual arousal was evaluated in general terms in Study 1, whereas it was evaluated as a state in Study 2. These findings confirm that the presence of psychopathological symptoms contributes to sexual functioning, as well as the necessity of strengthening mental illness prevention programs that include sexual health components.

The Impact of Intimate Partner Violence on Sexual Attitudes, Sexual Assertiveness, and Sexual Functioning in Men and Women

BACKGROUND

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) causes physical, sexual, or psychological harm. The association between psychosexual (sexual assertiveness, erotophilia, and attitude towards sexual fantasies) and sexual function (sexual desire, sexual excitation, erection, orgasm capacity, and sexual satisfaction), and the experience of physical and non-physical IPV was assessed.

METHODS

Data from 3394 (1766 women, 1628 men) heterosexual adults completed the Spanish version of the Index of Spouse Abuse, scales measuring psychosexual and sexual function, and demographic characteristics were collected.

RESULTS

For men, poorer sexual health was associated with an experience of physical abuse (F = 4.41, p < 0.001) and non-physical abuse (F = 4.35, p < 0.001). For women, poorer sexual health was associated with physical abuse (F = 13.38, p < 0.001) and non-physical abuse (F = 7.83, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The experience of physical or non-physical abuse has a negative association with psychosexual and sexual functioning in both men and women.

The Spanish Version of the Sexual Opinion Survey (SOS-6): Evidence of Validity of a Short Version

The aim of this work was to provide validity evidences of the short Spanish version of the Sexual Opinion Survey (SOS-6). First, a psychometric study was performed to examine the factorial invariance of the scale across different groups. A sample of 1,500 heterosexual adults (50% men, 50% women) from the general Spanish population, aged 18 to 80, was examined. Results showed that the unidimensional model of the SOS-6 is invariant across sex, age range, relationship status, and educational level. Secondly, a laboratory study was performed to determine the relationship between erotophilia and objective and subjective sexual arousal in response to sexual stimuli. The sample consisted of 130 young Spanish university students (46.92% men, 53.08% women) with heterosexual orientation. In men, erotophilia was related to subjective sexual arousal; in women, erotophilia was related to subjective sexual arousal and estimation of genital sensations. In conclusion, this work provides validity evidences of the short version of the SOS-6 and describes the factorial equivalence of the scale across groups and its concurrent validity.