Filippo Maria Nimbi- PhD, PsyD, ECPS
- Professor (Associate) at Università degli Studi eCampus
Filippo Maria Nimbi
- PhD, PsyD, ECPS
- Professor (Associate) at Università degli Studi eCampus
About
149
Publications
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Introduction
Clinical psychologist, psycho-sexologist, associate professor on topics such as sexual desire, stigma in the LGBTQIA+ community, chemsex, consent and sex education, genito-pelvic pain, and sexuality in chronic conditions (e.g., HIV infection, breast cancer, fibromyalgia, and vulvodynia). He collaborates with various scientific bodies, associations and companies, such as the Institute of Clinical Sexology in Rome and the European Federation of Sexology (EFS).
Current institution
Additional affiliations
January 2020 - present
January 2012 - October 2018
February 2017 - August 2017
Publications
Publications (149)
Somatic symptoms are common in school-aged children and adolescents, potentially manifesting as a response to psychological pain. Factors such as emotional regulation, parental attachment patterns, and environmental sensitivity can influence somatic symptoms. The literature lacks studies that comprehensively explore all the aforementioned dimension...
Objectives
While perceived partner sexual satisfaction significantly influences individual sexual satisfaction, research examining perceptual accuracy is limited and has primarily focused on conventional long-term relationships. This study investigated factors influencing accuracy and bias in perceptions of partner sexual satisfaction across divers...
Objectives
Vulvodynia (VU) and Fibromyalgia (FM) are chronic pain conditions recently discussed under the Nociplastic pain umbrella. Despite their different symptom profiles, they frequently coexist, prompting exploration of potential etiological links and their impact on patients. This study aims to evaluate sexual functioning, genital pain, and s...
Objectives
Sexual pleasure is acknowledged as vital to sexual health, rights, and well-being. However, the connection between body perception and sexual pleasure remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by examining how professional contemporary dancers, a population specifically trained to perceive their own and others’ bodies in space...
Objectives
This study addressed one of the European Society for Sexual Medicine’s priorities by developing the first research-informed and evidence-based dyadic treatment to guide healthcare professionals in managing sexual desire discrepancy (SDD) in couples. According to expert opinion, treatment should incorporate psychoeducation and sex therapy...
Background Sexual fantasies represent a cognitive pattern that influences sexual activation and desire. This study aims to investigate the relationship between sexual fantasies, sexual desire and overall sexual functioning among Iranian adults. Methods A total of 1353 volunteers from the general population participated by filling out questionnaires...
Background: This study investigates the psychological underpinnings of chronic pain conditions, specifically fibromyalgia, chronic headache, vulvodynia, and mixed condition (consisting of fibromyalgia in comorbidity with chronic headache and/or vulvodynia), with a focus on nociplastic pain mechanisms.Objective: The aim of the study is to better und...
Objectives. The role of psychological aspects in the overall care of fibro-myalgia (FM) is extremely relevant. Nevertheless, there is a lack of practical guidelines for rheumatologists for supporting effective referral to clinical psychology specialists together with the implementation of psychological practices in the treatment of FM. Methods. The...
Objective
To refine a standard questionnaire on sexual practices, experiences and health-related outcomes to improve its cross-cultural applicability and interpretability. We aimed to explore participants’ willingness and ability to answer the draft questionnaire items, and determine whether items were interpreted as intended across diverse geograp...
Epistemic trust has emerged as a promising construct in understanding psycho(patho)logical functioning. However, its interplay with other dimensions that may contribute to developing specific symptom patterns remains underexplored. This study sought to investigate how epistemic trust, mistrust, and credulity relate to relational difficulties, defen...
Background:
To date, there is a lack of a structured national plan of sexual education in Italy, with large interregional differences and poor uniformity in the promotion and learning of sexual health.
Aim:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge on sexuality and reproductive function among adolescents before and after a sex...
Background
Vulvodynia is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by persistent vulvar pain, occurring without clinically identifiable disorders. Central sensitization (CS) is suggested to play a role in the pathophysiology of vulvodynia, as for other nociplastic pain conditions.
Aim
This study delves into the complex interplay between psychosocial f...
Background
The literature points out that the adoption of sexual health behaviors is associated to many biopsychosocial factors such as minority stress and stigmatizing attitudes that may facilitate or hinder the adoption of more healthy behaviors. This study aims to explore possible differences in minority stress, stigmatizing attitudes, and psych...
The evolution in conceptualization of sexual desire has stimulated many attempts to measure it. However measures able to assess multiple expressions of desire in all sexual identities are still lacking. The main aim of the present study was to test the psychometric properties of the Sexual Desire and Erotic Fantasies questionnaire - Part 1 Sexual D...
Background
Fibromyalgia (FM) patients frequently experience multiple chronic pain (CP) comorbidities, including tension-type or migraine headache, irritable bowel syndrome, and low back pain. FM and all these conditions have been included among chronic nociplastic syndromes [1]. The term “nociplastic pain” (NP) describes pain that results from alte...
Background
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain (CP) syndrome with a prevalence rate ranging between 0.2% and 6.6%, with significant higher rates in women (2.4% - 6.8%) [1]. From 39% to 76% of FM patients suffers from multiple CP comorbidities primarily: tension-type or migraine headache, irritable bowel syndrome, lower back pain, myofascial pain sy...
Background/objectives
To compare sexual functioning, genital pain, and satisfaction among women diagnosed with various Chronic pain (CP) conditions. Additionally, it seeks to explore the role of sexual factors in predicting levels of central sensitization (indicative of CP-related mental and physical distress), physical, and mental quality of life...
Vaccine hesitancy and conspiracy beliefs are social issues of growing concern which have arisen particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate the multifaceted relationship between a hesitant attitude towards vaccination, conspiracy thinking, fear of infection, and the dimensions of epistemic trust, mistrust, an...
Social media are popular and play a key role in influencing, informing, and stimulating users in their everyday lives. People (especially adolescents and young adults) increasingly use social media to get and share sexual health-related information. Studies have shown encouraging results on using social media for sexual health communication improvi...
Chemsex is a growing phenomenon that identifies the use of specific psychoactive substances within sexual activity among men who have sex with men (MSM) to facilitate, enhance, and prolong the sexual experience [1]. Chemsex represents a specific pattern of drug use that has produced a subculture within the LGBT community [2], with distinctive chara...
Introduction: Research on lesbian and gay parent families has mostly focused on parenting quality and child development, yet little attention has been given to the transformations in families of origin's dynamics following the transition to parenthood. Aims and Methods: in this qualitative study, we explored the experiences of 35 lesbian parents an...
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had effects on sexual and reproductive health and intimate partner violence (IPV). This study aims to describe changes in sexual health and IPV in the Italian population both during and after the lockdowns. Methods: This cross-sectional online study was conducted, as part of the I-SHARE multicountry project, be...
Over the past 30 years, an increasing number of people have identified within the asexual (ACE) spectrum recognizing an absence/low/situational sexual attraction to individuals of any gender. The current study aims to deepen the knowledge of sexual desire, erotic fantasies, and related emotions within the ACE spectrum. A total of 1072 Italian volun...
The main aim of the present study was to test the psychometric properties of the Sexual Desire and Erotic Fantasies questionnaire - Part 1 Sexual Desire (SDEF1), developed as a sex-positive measure of different sexual desire expressions. The SDEF1 was assessed with 1,773 Italian participants (1,105 women, 645 men, and 23 other genders). The final v...
Objectives:
Central sensitivity (CS) is defined as an increased responsiveness of nociceptive neurons in the central nervous system to normal or subthreshold inputs. CS has recently been linked to the psychological burden associated with chronic pain, such as fibromyalgia (FM). The primary objective of this study is to investigate the impact of sp...
Background:
The investigation of sexual fantasies is a delicate issue within sex research. Most studies have focused on the content of these fantasies, rather than on use, experiences, attitudes, and sharing issues, which are fundamental aspects within sexual therapy. The main aim of the present study was to develop and validate the "Sexual Desire...
Background:
Erotic fantasies are the most common sexual experiences and provide valuable clinical material for understanding individual and relational emotional dynamics. The primary objective of this study is to validate the Sexual Desire and Erotic Fantasies questionnaire (SDEF) Part 3-Inventory of Erotic Fantasies. This questionnaire was design...
Background: A rising number of monkeypox cases have been detected in Europe and several Western nations. Evaluating the fear associated with monkeypox is crucial to determine the necessity for tailored education and prevention programs for specific populations. This study explores the psychological and social factors linked to the fear response to...
Difficulties related to sexual desire discrepancy are among the most common complaints in people seeking help in therapy. The aims of the current study were to test a mediation model using a bootstrapping procedure where the quality of the dyadic sexual communication plays a key role in increasing or diminishing the degree of perceived sexual desir...
Objective
Starting from May 2022, a growing number of monkeypox cases have been identified in several countries in Europe and the United States. To date, information on social reaction to the news circulating about monkeypox is limited. Assessing psychological and social elements related to the tendency to misinterpret monkeypox information is urge...
Objectives
The Sexual Distress Scale (SDS) is a validated and widespread used tool to assess the sexually-related personal distress in women. The present study aimed to test the psychometric characteristics of the 12-item version of the SDS (Derogatis et al., 2002) and of the 5-item short form of SDS-SF (Santos-Iglesias et al., 2020) in women and m...
Objectives
To date, relatively few studies have provided an in-depth overview of approaches to treating paraphilic sexual fantasies. The different types of treatment were considered separately or some were not included or explored. The purpose of this systematic review is to provide a broad and in-depth overview of therapeutic approaches related to...
Objectives
To date, relatively few studies have provided an in-depth overview of approaches to treating paraphilic sexual fantasies. The different types of treatment were considered separately or some were not included or explored. The purpose of this systematic review is to provide a broad and in-depth overview of therapeutic approaches related to...
Objectives
The Sexual Distress Scale (SDS) is a validated and widespread used tool to assess the sexually-related personal distress in women. The present study aimed to test the psychometric characteristics of the 12-item version of the SDS (Derogatis et al., 2002) and of the 5-item short form of SDS-SF (Santos-Iglesias et al., 2020) in women and m...
Objectives
Covid-19 is an infectious disease that has affected many countries, changing daily life. Italy was one of the first Countries suffering Covid-19 social distancing restrictions and isolation. In partnership with a global consortium, we organized a survey to better understand sexual functioning during coronavirus. This presentation will pr...
Objectives
Earlier diagnosis and improved treatments have led to better outcomes and prolonged survivals in breast cancer, making quality of life a key issue. Sexuality represents a pillar of quality of life, although it is often neglected in cancer. The aim of the current study was to explore differences in mental health, sexual experience and rel...
Objectives
Most studies on chemsex focus on the health risks associated with the practice, whereas less attention has been paid to the perception of sexual gratification.The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of chemsex substances on sexual response, motivations to engage in chemsex and the relationship with sober sex.
Methods
Thirty...
The use of Dating Applications (DAs) is widespread, and in some cases could be associated with psychosexological issues. Hence, we decided to investigate hypersexual behavior and depression symptoms among DA users and non-users. We recruited a snowball convenience sample of 1000 subjects through an online platform in 2020 for a cross-sectional stud...
The study aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of the Italian versions of the 12-item Sexual Distress Scale (SDS) and the 5-item Sexual Distress Scale-Short Form (SDS-SF). A total sample of 2291 adults (1361 women, 930 men) participated through a web survey completing the SDS, the FSFI, the IIEF, the PANAS and the SCL-90-R. The results supp...
Women with endometriosis often suffer from genito-pelvic pain. The objective of the present study was to analyze the relationship between cognitive and psycho-emotional factors and sexual functioning of women with endometriosis, comparing women with and without endometriosis. A total of 87 women with endometriosis (EG) and 100 women without endomet...
Obesity produces a significant deterioration in general and sexual health. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the impact of obesity on sexuality, illustrating the psychological constructs that may play a significant role in determining sexual functioning and satisfaction. During the psychological assessment for bariatric surge...
Background
Earlier diagnosis and improved treatments have led to better outcomes in breast cancer, making quality of life a key issue. Sexuality represents a pillar of quality of life, although it is often neglected by both healthcare providers and patients when it comes to cancer. This study aims to explore the differences in sexual functioning, d...
Il tumore al seno è la forma di cancro più frequente e, ancora oggi, nonostante vi sia stato un miglioramento della prognosi, esso rimane la prima causa di morte da tumore nelle donne. L'obiettivo del presente studio è stato quello di valutare la qualità della vita e indagare gli aspetti psicologici, sessuologici ed affettivi in donne affette da ca...
Background
Most studies on chemsex focus on the health risks associated with the practice, whereas less attention has been paid to the perception of sexual gratification in men who have sex with men (MSM) who use these substances.
Aim
The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of chemsex substances on sexual response, motivations to enga...
Introduction
The Biopsychosocial model (BPS) represents a comprehensive paradigm of consolidated practices. Although it has been outlined as the gold standard in sexology, its implementation is often challenging. The sex-positive approach is a ground-breaking movement that is gaining popularity all over and is focused on the recognition of differen...
Il desiderio sessuale rappresenta la fase più complessa e soggettiva della risposta sessuale e le fantasie erotiche sono una delle sue manifestazioni più comuni. Negli anni si è cercato di promuovere un approccio più positivo e informato alla sessualità e il seguente studio ha l'obiettivo generale di esplorare se e come desiderio e fantasie sono st...
Il carcinoma mammario rappresenta la neoplasia maligna più diffusa nella popolazione femminile e, nonostante i significativi progressi nella diagnosi e nel trattamento, essa si configura come la neoplasia con la più alta mortalità tra le donne in Occidente. La diagnosi e le terapie rappresentano non solo uno sconvolgimento sul piano fisico della do...
Introduction:
Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease that affects women's quality of life, sexuality, and relationship. Endometriosis-associated pain plays an essential role in well-being impairment. The present review aimed to analyze literature about endometriosis-associated pain and quality of life, sexual health, and quality of the r...
Introduction. Hypersexuality is a clinical condition regarding the psychopathology of sexual behavior. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of trauma, through the post-traumatic stress-disorder (PTSD), depression, shame and guilt on the hypersexual behavior.
Methods. Through an online platform, a convenience sample of 1025 subjects was r...
La vulvodinia è una sindrome complessa e multifattoriale che colpisce circa il 16% della popolazione femminile (Harlow et al., 2014) caratterizzata da disagio vulvare spesso descritto come bruciore/dolore che si verifica in assenza di rilevanti cause osservabili. Anche se numerosi progressi sono stati fatti nello studio di que-sta sindrome, esiston...
The present study aims to evaluate the relationship in women between a history of physical/sexual abuse and the preferences regarding the choice of a partner for a short/long-term relationship in terms of male facial dimorphism, and to assess their sexual functioning. We enrolled 48 abused women and 60 non-abused women. Facial preferences were eval...
Purpose of Review
The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on sexual desire expressions, sexual orientation, and identity in understudied groups inside the LGBT+ community.
Recent Findings
Sexual desire and related problems have unique expressions in LGBT+ people which influence their sexual health. Emerging sex-positive ap...
Purpose of Review
The purpose of this review is to summarize the current knowledge around sexual desire, fantasies, and related biopsychosocial factors that may facilitate or obstruct sexual expressions in lesbian women and gay men.
Recent Findings
Sexual desire levels and related problems do not seem significantly different in people who identify...
Introduction
The word “haptics” refers to sensory inputs arising from receptors in the skin and in the musculoskeletal system, particularly crucial in sexual economy. Haptic stimuli provide information about mechanical properties of touched objects and about the position and motion of the body. An important area in this field is the development of...
Background
Chemsex is a novel phenomenon referring to the consumption of illicit drugs to facilitate, enhance, and prolong the sexual experience in men who have sex with men (MSM).
Aim
The present study aims to investigate contexts, patterns of substance use, first chemsex experience, and harm reduction in a group of MSM practicing chemsex in Ital...
Introduction. Hypersexuality is characterized by excess of sexual activities, obsession of sex and related consequences. On the other hand, the assessment of problematic sexuality includes several psychometric tools to screen hypersexual behavior. Hypersexual Behavior Inventory is one of these, although its Italian version is not current available....
Background:
Genital pain (GP) is a common symptom in women of reproductive age. The prevalence of GP is difficult to gauge as it has been underreported by both patients and clinicians and neglected in clinical studies despite wide recognition of the adverse effects to women's health.
Aim:
The purpose of the present study was 3-fold: (i) to explo...
Objectives
The aim of this study was to explore whether women with endometriosis-related infertility had poorer psychological, sexual and relational scores compared with endometriosis without infertility.
Methods
Seventy-one endometriosis women (32 with associated infertility and 39 without) completed a survey assessing sexual functioning, relatio...
Introduction:
Tinder is the most popular and used meeting application for dating. However, its impact on sexual behavior and sexual health has not yet been thoroughly investigated.
Objectives:
To review the current empirical knowledge on the sexual health and sexual behavior effects related to Tinder use.
Methods:
A literature review was condu...
Female genital mutilation (FGM), perhaps among the most culturally determined surgical practices in the world today, profoundly impacts quality of life in women. However, in some women who have undergone FGM, sexuality—specifically pleasure and orgasm—might be spared. Such controversial and paradoxical outcomes may be explained by adopting a dutifu...
Homophobia and transphobia are defined as the irrational fear, hatred, and intolerance of homosexual and transsexual people by (officially) heterosexual individuals. Various cultural and psychological mechanisms, prejudices, and personal experiences underlie the discriminatory acts and feelings against homosexuals and transsexuals. However, in orde...
Research on LGBT health services is urgent as well as effective actions. Some studies investigating the attitudes of mental Health Care Professionals (HCPs), social workers, medical trainees and professionals, students, and resident assistants towards Lesbian and Gay (LG) people showed a significant negative role of sexism affecting attitudes towar...
Differences in gender and sexual orientation are suggested to be linked to differences in the way individuals think and behave. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the effect of gender and sexual orientation on sexual fantasies and gender roles in heterosexual and gay and lesbian people. The sample was composed of 547 participants, 246 men...
Literature lacks wide studies on variables affecting sexual desire in men. Aim of this study was to explore the role of some psychosocial variables such as quality of life, sexual function, distress, sexual satisfaction, psychological symptoms, emotions, alexithymia, couple adjustment, sexism, dysfunctional beliefs, cognitive schemas, and modes. A...
I social media e le comunità online sono diventati importanti canali di comuni-cazione per i giovani. L'uso massiccio di queste tecnologie ha dato origine a un dibattito internazionale sui potenziali effetti sulle relazioni e sulla sessualità. Lo scopo di questo contributo è studiare i vantaggi e i limiti dei social media come fonte formale e infor...
Introduction:
Masculinity and femininity constitute the gender role construct into the general concept of sexual identity.
Aim:
To investigate the relationships of attachment style, sexual orientation and biological sex with the gender role.
Methods:
A convenience sample of 344 subjects (females = 207; males = 137) was recruited.
Main outcome...
Introduction:
Hormonal contraceptives are among the most popular contraceptives used by women worldwide. Long-term adherence may vary significantly among users because of fear of side effects, unhealthy habits, and lack of knowledge, despite their proven effectiveness.
Aim:
To analyze the psychological, relational, sexual, and cultural factors a...
Background:
Published studies show good psychological health of people involved in bondage-discipline, dominance-submission, and sadism-masochism (BDSM) activities; nevertheless, there are few studies on characteristics related to gender, role in the BDSM scene, sexual functioning, and satisfaction among BDSM practitioners.
Aim:
The aim of this...
Introduction:
The literature showed the need for a better understanding of the male sexual response, which has historically been considered as simpler and more mechanistic compared with that in women.
Aim:
To examine the literature on biopsychosocial factors associated with the level of sexual desire in men and discuss some interesting direction...
Introduction:
Literature lacks biopsychosocial models of men's sexuality. Regarding sexual desire, Carvalho and Nobre (J Sex Med 2011;8:754-763.) presented a cognitive-affective model including age, medical factors, dyadic adjustment, psychopathology, restrictive attitudes toward sexual activity, erection concerns, lack of erotic thoughts (LET), s...
The Questionnaire of Cognitive Schema Activation in Sexual Context (QCSASC) is a validated and widespread used measure to assess the self-schemas elicited during sexual negative events in both men and women. The current study aimed to test the psychometric characteristics of the Italian version of the QCSASC in both heterosexual men and women. Afte...
The Sexual Dysfunctional Beliefs Questionnaire (SDBQ) is a validated and widespread measure to assess dysfunctional sexual beliefs. The study aimed to test the psychometrics of the Italian version of the SDBQ. A total of 1009 participants (422 men and 587 women, 739 healthy and 270 complaining about sexual problems) took part in the current study....
Introduction: The main international guidelines on sex education agree on the need to increase the
number of interventions in schools and on the community, in formal and non-formal contexts. The
suggestion is to start as soon as possible, with objectives and methods appropriate for the
age, promoting the development of critical thinking with partic...
Infrared thermography (IRT) is a non-contact technique that permits mapping and analysis of the temperature of the body's skin surface. This method has been applied to sexual psychophysiology since the 1980s and its use has been expanding ever since, mainly because it provides several advantages over existing genital response measures. This article...
Sommario
La genitorialità per le coppie omosessuali spesso può transitare attraverso prassi e tecniche mediche che includono la procreazione medicalmente assistita (PMA) o la gravidanza surrogata (surrogacy). Il presente lavoro ha lo scopo di riportare, attraverso una breve rassegna della letteratura, i principali articoli riguardanti l’omogenitori...
Résumé Les lignes d’assistance sont des services de conseil communs pour hommes etfemmes cherchant des conseils de santé, et sur des problèmes psychologiques et sexuels.Avec l’avènement des réseaux sociaux, les utilisateurs ont maintenant plus de possibilitésd’informations sur la santé sexuelle qu’auparavant. En comparant les données récentes d’unl...
Questions
Questions (4)
I would like to improve my research skills for my work.
Suggestions and personal experiences are really welcome!
I would like to improve my writing skills for my manuscripts.
Suggestions and personal experiences are really welcome!
I am not a native english speaker, and even if i am fluent, when I write a manuscript I have most of the time reviewers suggesting to improve the language of the paper. I am trying to improve with a teacher, but I would like to know if you use any kind of programme, tool, webservice, to improve the language of your paper.
Thank you!
I have been working on language validation of some measures in the last years, and many referees comment that "They do not see the need of validating the use of a questionnaire in another language". For all what I studied and so on, a validation of the language is always needed when I translate a measure (e.g., from english to italian). Even if the study is good and coherent, is very difficut to publish it (because journals usually do not care about language validation of already existing measures). Do you have any suggestions or experience to share?
