Jesús Castro-Calvo

University of Valencia | UV · Departamento de Personalidad, Evaluación y Tratamientos Psicológicos

This chapter explores the convergence of various digital technologies and their potential impacts on problematic online behaviors. Incorporation of gaming elements into many online activities (e.g., gambling, on-demand video streaming, social media, and pornography) has created concerns about problematic use, particularly among youth). We review th...

Introduction The Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) is a brief questionnaire that evaluates five major aspects of sexual function: sex drive, arousal, erectile function/vaginal lubrication, ability to reach orgasm, and satisfaction with orgasm. An advantage of the ASEX is its simplicity and brevity (five items), making it suitable for the scre...

The UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Model and the various psychometric instruments developed and validated based on this model are well established in clinical and research settings. However, evidence regarding the psychometric validity, reliability, and equivalence across multiple countries of residence, languages, or gender identities, including gender...

The situation derived from the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and lockdowns ordered to control the pandemic led to unprecedented problems in different areas of people’s well-being. This study aimed to explore the acute effects of the first lockdown on self-perceived sleep quality, as well as the risk/protective factors that modulated this impact. T...

El consumo de pornografía es una práctica muy extendida. En la mayoría de casos, no conlleva consecuencia negativa alguna; no obstante, algunas personas desarrollan un patrón de consumo excesivo y problemático. Uno de los factores que aumenta el riesgo de desarrollar un uso problemático de pornografía (UPP) es el estado de ánimo disfórico (concreta...

The effects of abstinence from digital services and/or devices (aka “digital detox”) on mental health have received increased interest in recent years. Regular breaks and abstinent periods are advised to help individuals who overuse digital technology, but the psychological benefits and related consequences require empirical attention. While some s...

Motivations for pornography use may vary across gender identities, sexual orientations, and geographical regions, warranting examination to promote individual and public health. The aims of this study were to validate the Pornography Use Motivations Scale (PUMS) in a diverse, multicultural sample, and develop a short form (PUMS-8) that can assess a...

Introduction The lockdown, as a measure to stop the spread of COVID-19, has had an impact on different areas of our life, including sexuality. This study aims to analyze its impact on online sexual activities (OSAs) in people who lived in Spain during confinement. Methods This study involved 1448 people aged 18–60 years who were assessed through a...

Emerging adulthood is a stage that involves significant changes in emotional, social, academic, and work domains, which can often lead to high levels of stress and mental health challenges. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential benefits of an online intervention program that is based on mental health psychoeducation and suicide risk...

Background. Depression and anxiety are among the most prevalent mental health issues experienced worldwide. However, whereas cross-cultural studies utilize psychometrically valid and reliable scales, fewer can meaningfully compare these conditions across different groups. To address this gap, the current study aimed to psychometrically assess the B...

Objectives: This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the P4 suicide screener in a multinational sample. The primary goal was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale and investigate its convergent validity by analyzing its correlation with depression, anxiety, and substance use. Study design: The study design is a cro...

Background The three-item Sexual Distress Scale (SDS-3) has been frequently used to assess distress related to sexuality in public health surveys and research on sexual wellbeing. However, its psychometric properties and measurement invariance across cultural, gender and sexual subgroups have not yet been examined. This multinational study aimed to...

Background and aims Problematic pornography use (PPU) is a common manifestation of the newly introduced Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder diagnosis in the 11th edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Although cultural, gender‐ and sexual orientation‐related differences in sexual behaviors a...

Introducción: El machismo, arraigado en estructuras culturales y sociales, tiene un impacto negativo en la equidad de género, manifestándose en actitudes y comportamientos que discriminan y oprimen a las mujeres. Este impacto se extendería también al ámbito de las relaciones sexuales, donde factores como el machismo podrían influir en las preferenc...

Introducción: El machismo, arraigado en estructuras culturales y sociales, tiene un impacto negativo en la equidad de género, manifestándose en actitudes y comportamientos que discriminan y oprimen a las mujeres. Este impacto se extendería también al ámbito de las relaciones sexuales, donde factores como el machismo podrían influir en las preferenc...

Introducción: Cada vez más frecuentemente, la población joven tiende a involucrarse sexualmente con un mayor número de personas con respecto a hace unos años. La literatura muestra que este incremento se podría explicar por la conjunción de varios factores sociales y psicológicos. Se postula a la búsqueda de sensaciones sexuales (BSS) como una posi...

Introducción: La asertividad sexual, entendida como la habilidad para expresar de manera abierta y clara los límites y deseos en el ámbito sexual, así como negociar su cumplimiento en cualquier contexto, emerge como un pilar fundamental en la construcción de relaciones saludables y consensuadas. Estudios previos respaldan la idea de que la asertivi...

Objective We analyzed adult ADHD symptoms in a cross-cultural context, including investigating the occurrence and potential correlates of adult ADHD and psychometric examination of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) Screener. Method Our analysis is based on a large-scale research project involving 42 countries (International Sex Survey, N=72,...

Background and aims: Problematic pornography use (PPU) is a common manifestation of the newly introduced Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder diagnosis in the 11th edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Although cultural, gender- and sexual orientation-related differences in sexual behaviors...

Background and aims Time perception is a cognitive process involving both the ability to estimate the duration of an event (time estimation, TE) and the subjective perception of its passage (time passage, TP). Studies show that alteration in TE/TP is associated with substance use disorders. However, little is known about the impact of these alterat...

Introduction: Despite being a widely used screening questionnaire, there is no consensus on the most appropriate measurement model for the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Furthermore, there have been limited studies on its measurement invariance across cross-cultural subgroups, genders, and sexual orientations. Aims: The present...

Background and aims: Despite the inclusion of Compulsive Sexual Behavior (CSB) as a diagnostic entity in the ICD-11 and the increasing number of studies addressing psychological factors leading to its onset and maintenance, little is known about the role of hormonal factors when accounting for this clinical condition (especially in women). This st...

La evaluación por pares es una estrategia de evaluación que permite un aprendizaje significativo. En esta experiencia se ha planteado un proyecto de creación de material divulgativo, evaluado por pares mediante una rúbrica y con devolución cuantitativa y cualitativa de la valoración a los creadores del material. Finalizado el proyecto de creación d...

El malestar emocional percibido por el alumnado requiere ser identificado y evaluado como una vía para mejorar el bienestar emocional y la salud de la comunidad universitaria. El objetivo de esta experiencia era sensibilizar a la comunidad universitaria sobre la necesidad de promover el bienestar emocional de nuestro alumnado, así como identificar...

El uso de cibersexo responde a múltiples motivaciones de los usuarios que lo realizan. La literatura advierte que algunas motivaciones podrían relacionarse con indicadores de consumo problemático, como la interferencia y la preocupación asociadas a su uso. No obstante,estos estudios no siempre han considerado la posible influencia del género en la...

Introducción: La adicción al cibersexo es un término que carece de consenso en cuanto a su clasificación y criterios diagnósticos. El desconocimiento sobre este trastorno lleva a estigmatizar a las personas que lo padecen considerando, en el mejor de los casos, que su adicción estaría generalizada a toda su sexualidad. Objetivo: Analizar el perfil...

The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) is an instrument to screen substance use-related health risks. However, little is known whether the ASSIST could be further shortened while remaining psychometrically sound across different countries, languages, gender identities, and sexual orientation-based groups. The study a...

Background and aims: Despite its inclusion in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, there is a virtual paucity of high-quality scientific evidence about compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD), especially in underrepresented and underserved populations. Therefore, we comprehensively examined CSBD across 42 countries,...

Attentional inhibitory control (AIC) is responsible for ignoring salient yet irrelevant stimuli (i.e., distractors) to focus cognitive resources on goal-oriented demands. While the relevance of this cognitive process is well established when it comes to explaining the etiopathogenesis of substance use disorders, few studies have investigated AIC in...

Despite the recognition of compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) as a diagnostic entity in the ICD-11, few works have reported on its natural course. The aim of this study was to explore the natural course of CSB over a 1-year period, as well as to analyze the predictive power of different risk factors. A convenience sample of 154 young adults were asse...

High levels of perfectionism in college students can compromise their academic performance and psychological well-being. This study aims to analyze the implication of perfectionism in psychological well-being and suicidal ideation in the last year. A total of 1.287 students from different degrees reported their academic performance in the previous...

Introduction/objective: Worries regarding COVID-19 and its economic, social, and psychological consequences, together with the strict measures implemented to control this health crisis, have threatened the mental health of adolescents. The aim of this study was to test the mediating role of resilience and life satisfaction in the association betwee...

Self-efficacy seems to be one of the most important resources for the different stages underlying condom use and STI prevention. For this reason, this study evaluates trends in self-efficacy by gender, from 2004 to 2008, 2013 and 2020 in Spain. Throughout these years, 6,698 people ranging from 17 to 40 years old, participated filling the Brief scal...

Purpose of ReviewIn this systematic review, we examine the contribution of rumination (a maladaptive coping style of emotion regulation) when accounting for the onset and severity of different internet use disorders (IUDs).Recent FindingsWe retained and analyzed 42 studies that explored the association between rumination and six different IUDs: pro...

Background: Resilience has been associated with greater adherence to treatment, better outcomes, and improved quality of life (QOL) in people with chronic health conditions. This study aimed to identify sociodemographic, treatment accessibility related, clinical, and psychological variables associated with resilience in advanced chronic kidney dis...

Global concern about problematic usage of the internet (PUI), and its public health and societal costs, continues to grow, sharpened in focus under the privations of the COVID-19 pandemic. This narrative review reports the expert opinions of members of the largest international network of researchers on PUI in the framework of the European Cooperat...

El dolor crónico y los tratamientos asociados pueden afectar negativamente el funcionamiento y la satisfacción sexual. El presente estudio tiene como objetivo evaluar si existen diferencias en algunos componentes de la sexualidad entre adultos mayores con y sin diagnóstico de dolor crónico. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 132 estudiantes de la Univ...

La salud sexual en la infancia y en la adolescencia constituye una prioridad dado el importante impacto que esta ejerce en su salud global. Sin embargo, no existe un fuerte consenso sobre los indicadores que determinan el poseer una buena o una mala salud sexual, y más cuando hablamos de una población de especial vulnerabilidad dados los múltiples...

The paper by Sassover and Weinstein (2022) contributes to a timely and complex debate related to the classification of Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD). The recent inclusion of CSBD as an impulse control disorder in the ICD-11 has generated debate since a competitive view is that CSBD should rather be classified as an addictive disorder....

Los Exámenes de Alternativa Múltiple (EAM) son la forma más popular de evaluar la adquisición de conocimiento. Elaborar un EAM entraña cierta complejidad; sin embargo, rara vez se analiza en qué grado los EAM cumplen los criterios de calidad exigibles a estas pruebas (p.e., en términos de dificultad, capacidad de discriminación o eficacia de los di...

La percepción del tiempo, y más concretamente, la estimación de su duración podría verse alterada en diferentes adicciones conductuales. Esto es lo que sucedería en la adicción a videojuegos. Entre otros factores, la alteración en la estimación temporal podría deberse al grado de disfrute que generan estos contenidos. La mayoría de estudios se han...

HIV exposure is one of the greatest sexual risks in young people, and condom use is the best protective measure. Despite the preventive efforts, trend in condom use is still unclear. This study examines the trend of condom use by gender in Spanish young people, in different sexual practices (vaginal, oral and anal), relationships (regular and casua...

The pandemic context presents remarkable psychological challenges for adolescents and young adults. The aim of the present work was to construct and study the psychometric properties of a scale in Spanish language (W-COV) to measure their worries related to the pandemic. Participants were 5559 people aged between 14 and 25 years old (M = 19.05; SD...

The aim of this study was to test whether resilience and life satisfaction (two traditional protective factors) mediate between COVID‐19 related worries and the development of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress in adolescents and young adults. Participants involved 392 adolescents and young adults (70.20% female) aged between 12 and 25 yea...

Introduction In Spain, the sexual route is the main route of transmission in new HIV diagnoses. Men who have heterosexual relations are the second group with the highest incidence of new HIV cases and have the highest rates of late diagnosis in Spain. Planning the response to the HIV epidemic requires specific and updated information on this group....

Introduction Pornography consumption has increased exponentially in recent decades. Most studies conducted so far are focused on adult samples (typically, between 18 and 30 years old), limiting the generalizability of their results. This study aims to create a taxonomy that groups various pornographic contents and thus explore different aspects of...

Cyberchondria refers to excessive and repeated online health-related searching, which is associated with increased distress and anxiety. The Cyberchondria Severity Scale (CSS) is the most widely used measure for assessment of cyberchondria, and its shortened version (CSS-12) has recently been developed. The aim of the present study was to develop t...

The link between Compulsive Sexual Behavior (CSB) and atypical sexual interests is elusive. This study aimed to provide preliminary insights into the relationship between both aspects. The study sample comprised 61 self-identified straight men. CSB was measured through a composite self-report index assessing symptoms of CSB, whereas sexual interest...

Introducción: El uso de internet con fines sexuales es una práctica cada vez más generalizada. Diferentes estudios muestran la asociación entre el uso de actividades sexuales online (ASO) y efectos adversos como el desarrollo de patrones de consumo disfuncionales y conductas sexuales de riesgo. Se ha postulado que su uso y los motivos asociados pu...

Introducción: Los jóvenes que cometen delitos sexuales (JDS) constituyen un grupo heterogéneo y tal diversidad debe ser tomada en consideración para poder atender a las distintas necesidades criminógenas que presentan. Objetivo: Analizar el estado de la cuestión respecto a las distintas clasificaciones de JDS propuestas y los criterios utilizados p...

La salud sexual de los/as adolescentes y jóvenes suele mirarse desde una lente que se enfoca en los problemas. En el caso de los adolescentes que están en el sistema de protección infantil este análisis centrado en los riesgos es mayor si cabe, dado que experimentan tasas más altas de resultados negativos de salud sexual. La presente revisión tiene...

Una de las principales motivaciones para consumir cibersexo es conocer a otras personas con fines románticas y/o sexuales. Parece que el género podría ser importante a la hora de modular la realización de este tipo de Actividad Sexual Online (ASO); sin embargo, los datos son escasos y no siempre apuntan a la misma dirección. Así mismo, tampoco se h...

The health and socioeconomic challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic have led to greater reliance on the internet to meet basic needs and responsibilities. Greater engagement in online activities may have negative mental and physical health consequences for some vulnerable individuals, particularly under mandatory self-isolation or 'lockdown'...

The objective of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the French version of the Bergen Facebook addiction scale (BFAS) and to compare a one- and two-factors models. A sample of 687 students (Mage = 20.28; SD = 3.74; min = 17; max = 57) with 17.5% of male and 82.5% of women completed the study. Participants completed online the F...

Resumen El uso de Internet con propósitos sexuales (p.e., visionado de pornografía o contacto sexual mediante chat o cámara web) resulta una práctica cada vez más generalizada. Si bien en la mayoría de los casos se realiza de forma recreativa, en algunas ocasiones puede sobrevenir compulsivo, incontrolado y asociado a deterioro funcional en varios...

Background and aims Gaming Disorder (GD) is characterized by a pattern of persistent and uncontrolled gaming behavior that causes a marked impairment in important areas of functioning. The evolution of the worldwide incidence of this disorder warrants further studies focused on examining the existence of different subtypes within clinical samples,...

Introducción: El cibersexo se trata de una actividad sexual online cada vez más prevalente cuya principal motivación es la búsqueda de gratificación y disfrute sexual y como tal, habitualmente suele ir acompañado de masturbación. Se ha encontrado que esta experiencia de gratificación puede desembocar, en algunas personas, en un patrón de consumo pr...

Background: Despite the relevance of assessing sexual knowledge in people with Intellectual Disability, there is a lack of appropriate assessment tools to measure this domain. The current study tests the psychometric properties of the new ‘Inventory of Sexual Knowledge of people with Intellectual Disability’ (ISK-ID). Method: 345 individuals with m...

El consumo de pornografía es la actividad sexual online más prevalente. En algunos casos (más frecuentemente en hombres), éste puede sobrevenir excesivo y problemático. Se ha propuesto que comprender cómo evoluciona la excitación sexual subjetiva durante el visionado de pornografía en cada individuo podría mejorar la comprensión de los determinante...

Introduction Some people experience symptoms and negative outcomes derived from their persistent, excessive, and problematic engagement in pornography viewing (i.e., Problematic Pornography Use, PPU). Recent theoretical models have turned to different cognitive processes (e.g., inhibitory control, decision making, attentional bias, etc.) to explain...

During the last decade, the number of people using the Internet for sexual purposes has increased exponentially. However, most studies conducted so far have analyzed Online Sexual Activity (OSA) of adolescents and young people, meaning that we have few information on how this phenomenon is expressed across the lifespan. The aim of this study was to...

The high prevalence of people with Intellectual Disability (ID) fosters the recognition of their health, work, and social needs. However, few studies have focused on the assessment of their affective and sexual needs (a basic personal need and universal right). Even though the current literature suggests changes in social attitudes toward this popu...

Background and aims Following the recognition of ‘internet gaming disorder’ (IGD) as a condition requiring further study by the DSM‐5, ‘gaming disorder’ (GD) was officially included as a diagnostic entity by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the eleventh revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐11). However, the proposed d...

Background: Patients with chronic kidney disease undergo various stages of therapeutic adaptation which involve lifestyle modifications, physical changes, and adjustment to renal replacement therapy. This process produces adaptive stress. Objective: To identify how resilience, health- related quality of life, and sociodemographic, clinical, and hem...

This article suggests that the type of Internet-enabled device should not be prioritised when conceptualizing diagnostic categories of addictive online behaviours. The diagnostic distinction between "predominantly mobile" and "predominantly non-mobile" forms of Internet use disorders (IUD) is not empirically based, may not be clinically useful and...

El cibersexo es una práctica generalizada, sobre todo en población LGTBI. Esta práctica puede suponer beneficios, aunque también conlleva riesgos (como desarrollar una adicción). Dado que el colectivo LGTBI lo consume más frecuentemente, el riesgo de adicción también podría ser mayor. El objetivo del estudio era analizar si la orientación sexual au...

Background: This paper presents psychometric properties of an instrument for the Assessment of Sexual Behaviour and Knowledge of people with Intellectual Disability (ASBKID), other‐reported by professionals who are in daily contact with them. Methods and procedures: Assessments of 236 individuals with intellectual disability were obtained from 100...

Purpose of Review Sexuality is a complex dimension for which culture seems to play an important role, particularly in countries that are more traditional. This review summarizes the knowledge about sexual relationships in Hispanic countries, considering sexual debut, attitudes, behaviors, and satisfaction. Recent Findings In line with the literatu...

PurposeChronic kidney disease (CKD) affects over 10% of the global population. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has been identified as a reliable indicator for assessing the effectiveness of treatment in chronic patients, and resilience as a predictor of low levels of stress and higher QoL. The aim of this research is to identify the relation...

Background and aims: Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder (CSBD) is characterized by a persistent failure to control intense and recurrent sexual impulses, urges, and/or thoughts, resulting in repetitive sexual behavior that causes a marked impairment in important areas of functioning. Despite its recent inclusion in the forthcoming ICD-11, concern...

RESUMEN Introducción: Las alteraciones en la percepción del paso del tiempo y en la estimación de su duración han sido ampliamente estudiadas, especialmente en patologías donde la afectividad es protagonista. Se sugiere que, en trastornos marcados por el afecto negativo, se tendería a sobreestimar el tiempo y percibir que pasa más lento, ocurriendo...

From the time of ancient Rome, it was stated that physical exercise, added to a good diet, were the key to people’s mental well-being. Although the premise is still valid nowadays, young people do not seem to understand it, as being overweight is a real public health problem in this population subgroup. The objective is to know the university popul...

El uso de Internet con objetivos sexuales (cibersexo) es una actividad cada vez más generalizada en todos los sectores de la población. Sin embargo, el modo en el que se realiza (frecuencia, tipos de actividad sexual online –ASO–, motivaciones, etc.) puede cambiar en función de características como la orientación sexual. Cuando el hecho de sentir a...

Introduction: Hypersexuality is a common problem in clinical practice, especially due to the emotional distress generated by some of its manifestations, such as sex addiction. However, the relationship between discomfort and hypersexuality is unclear and many authors highlight that, in addition to a consequence, emotional distress could be the caus...

In view of the growing interest regarding binge-watching (i.e., watching multiple episodes of television (TV) series in a single sitting) research, two measures were developed and validated to assess binge-watching involvement (“Binge-Watching Engagement and Symptoms Questionnaire”, BWESQ) and related motivations (“Watching TV Series Motives Questi...

As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many governments have introduced steps such as spatial