LIBRI DI CHIARA SIMONELLI

Il desiderio di avere un figlio rappresenta un tipo di progettualità multidimensionale, complessiva ed allargata per l’identità individuale e di coppia. L’obiettivo della presente ricerca consiste nell’esplorare la presenza del desiderio di genitorialità in un gruppo di omosessuali italiani, approfondendo le motivazioni ed il grado di riflessività e d’intensità del desiderio di avere un figlio. La ricerca ha coinvolto 226 soggetti (143 M; 83 F) di età compresa tra i 17 ed i 67 anni (media 31 anni; DS 9.36). Le aree indagate nel presente lavoro sono: dati sociodemografici, l’orientamento sessuale, le motivazioni alla genitorialità (categorie: Benessere; Controllo Sociale; Felicità; Identità; Genitorialità; Continuità), il tempo impiegato a riflettere sui motivi per avere un figlio (Riflessività) e l’intensità del desiderio alla genitorialità (Intensità del Desiderio). I risultati evidenziano che un’ampia maggioranza del gruppo esprime un desiderio di genitorialità e l’intenzione di portarlo a compimento, con una maggiore rappresentanza delle donne e dei soggetti in coppia. I motivi per desiderare un figlio sono soprattutto legati alla sperimentazione dei sentimenti positivi che la relazione con un figlio comporta e al senso di realizzazione personale e di coppia. Non sono risultate per nulla influenti motivazioni di pressione sociale. L’indagine suggerisce l’importanza di considerare le nuove forme di progettualità espresse dagli omosessuali alla luce di vecchi stereotipi evidenziando la crescita di nuove assertività nell’affermazione identitaria omosessuale.

Lo studio della "seconda infanzia", definita in letteratura internazionale middle childhood, ci offre una chiave di lettura più ampia dei processi di sviluppo sessuo-affettivi che si sono avviati già dai primi anni di vita. Il sesso biologico di appartenenza è infatti solo l’elemento primario dal quale si costruisce poi l’identità di genere, che viene intesa come la percezione soggettiva di appartenere al genere maschile o femminile. L’età scolare, nonostante non sia stata molto indagata dai ricercatori, si configura invece come una tappa fondamentale nel consolidamento del ruolo di genere, mediante il processo di socializzazione che la caratterizza. Nel presente articolo gli Autori si focalizzano proprio sui cambiamenti e le trasformazioni che contraddistinguono la fascia di età 6-12, affrontando il tema secondo un’ottica multidimensionale, che rispetti la complessa interazione di corpo, mente e società. L’analisi del consolidamento nella seconda infanzia dell’empatia, della reciprocità e dell’amicizia conduce ad un approfondimento critico del concetto di latenza sessuale.

Heteronormativity and female homosexuality:reformulation of an ancient link - The aim of this contribution is to analyse in which way gender stereotypes derived from heteronormativity have formed again in homosexual culture, with a strong influence on lesbian gender role. Lesbian "social invisibility" and the stigmatization of women sexual components will be studied as important variables in maintaining heteronormative categories in lesbian experience. Literature analysis shows how it is still common to find lesbians who label themselves in accordance with the "butch/femme" paradigm. Recent studies seem, however, to have found in lesbian community more flexible and personalised roles in performing gender stereotypes. The hypothesis of a higher "erotic plasticity" in women than in men could be a major interpretation to outline the importance that cultural phenomena have in homosexuals’ gender role construction.

Morris syndromeThe Morris syndrome. Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) is a genetic disease caused by mutations in the androgen receptor gene. AIS patients are individuals with a 46, XY karyotype. The phenotype consists in female external genitalia, short vagina, absent mullerian structures, and abdominal, inguinal or intralabial primordial testes. Precise diagnosis, that differentiating between complete (CAIS) and partial (PAIS) form, requires clinical and hormonal investigation and is of great importance for appropriate gender assignment. The CAIS has a minimal impact of one in 99,000 births, for the PAIS, however, there aren’t some statistics available, but generally it should be with a lower impact, approximately ten times less than CAIS.

Key words: Morris syndrome, androgen insensitivity syndrome, CAIS, PAIS, gonadectomy, hormonal replacement therapy, vaginal ipoplasia.

Parole chiave: sindrome di Morris, sindrome da insensibilità agli androgeni, CAIS, PAIS, gonadectomia, terapia ormonale sostitutiva, ipoplasia vaginale.

Cybersex: new kinds of sexual addiction - Sexual and internet addiction represent a rapidly growing phenomenon in the industrialized countries. The union between these clinical diseases has contributed to create new addiction forms, as cybersex addiction and cyber-relational addiction. Despite the poor diagnostic classification on this matter, the scientific debate is high pitched and thought-provoking. The different causes of these phenomenon and their heterogeneity suggest the adoption of different intervention strategies for clinical treatment of subjects with these kind of diseases, to take into account the individual needs and peculiarity.

Key words: sexual addiction, internet, cybersex, compulsion, sexual dysfunctions, diagnostic criteria.

Parole chiave: dipendenza sessuale, internet, sesso virtuale, compulsione, disfunzioni sessuali, criteri diagnostici.

Sex offenders: a study in an italian discritct penitentiary - A large number of studies have aimed at outlining the personality profile of sex offenders; however, due to the heterogenousness of such crime and their perpetrators, this task is very difficult. This study attempts to highlight the different types of sex offenders, their personality profiles, their possible defence mechanisms. Methods: Subjects of this study are male prisoners detained in a special section of the district penitentiary in Velletri (Rome, Italy). All subjects (N=8) were convicted of sexual crimes towards children and/or women. Their mean age is 51. Prisoners on remand were not included in this study. The adopted tools are: a Grid for collecting the anamnesis and the information regarding the crime; the Big Five Questionnaire; the Sesamo. Results and conclusions: Results proved the difficulties to outline a personality profile of sex offenders, but pointed out some common psycho-sexual aspects. These aspects were probably related to the prison situation of the subjects. Key words: sex offenders; personality profile; district penitentiary.

Premature ejaculation and dysregulation of emotions: research and clinical implications - The alexithymia construct describes a cluster of cognitive and affective characteristics initially observed among patients with classic psychosomatic diseases and later among patients with various medical and psychiatric disorders. The salient features of the construct are: difficulty in identifying and in describing subjective feelings, difficulty in distinguishing between feelings and the bodily sensations of emotional arousal, constricted imaginative activity and externally oriented cognitive style. This study shows significantly higher alexithymia levels in patients with lifelong PE than in controls (p < 0.001). Moreover, alexithymia level is positively correlated with PE severity (p < 0.001). Alexithymia, assessed at base-line, could be a useful predictor of treatment outcome and could contribute to the therapeutic orientation. In the clinical relationship special attention should be paid to the patient’s alexithymic difficulties. Body-oriented techniques, relaxation training, focalized body awareness, hypnosis, imaginative methods and combined pharmacological- psychological treatments could be particularly indicated in the treatment of alexithymic patients with PE. The partner’s involvement is generally important in both the diagnostic process and the treatment of PE, but is particularly indicated if the EP patient presents alexithymic features. Key words: premature ejaculation, alexithymia, emotions, treatment, psychotherapy, psychological factors.

Sexuality and pregnancy between misbelives and scientific truths - Sexual intercourses during pregnancy inevitably suffer of physiological and psychological changes that characterizes it. The partners’ intimacy would seem to fall even in absence of clinical risks for pregnant or fetus, that direct to a major caution. It is probable the lack of an open and clear dialogue on this by experts denies couples of clarifications and support that they need, leaving them at the mercy of taboo and misbelieves. Pregnancy, instead, could offer to partners a chance to try new forms of sexuality, helping to strengthen their emotional relationship in a moment in which they have to rearrange the relational equilibrium achieved previously. Key words: pregnancy, sexual intercourses, misbelives.

Telephone counselling for sexual problems: activity and methods of institute of clinical sexology of rome - Introduction: Help-lines have become a common counselling services in Europe, for men and women who are seeking advice for sexual problems. Despite this, relatively few peer-reviewed reports on this subject have been published in the last decade. Aim: To analyze the requests presented by users calling the help-line of Institute of Clinical Sexology of Rome for sexual problems and to describe the objectives and methods of this counselling service. Methods: The study included all the valid records of the calls received during the 3-year period of 2004-2007 (N=944). Results: The users are the 62.2% males vs 37.8% females. Among the calls about male sexual dysfunctions, the most frequently reported difficulties were erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation (42.9% and 36% respectively). Among female sexual dysfunctions, the majority of callers reported difficulties such as vaginismus and low/inhibited desire (35.7% and 24.1% respectively). Medical requests were 14% of the total. A large number of calls for information were also received. The majority of callers (55.8%) had not previously sought consultation for their problem. Conclusion: This kind of counselling is an important and effective resource to elicit requests that otherwise might remain hidden and therefore it can be a useful link between the health-care system and callers. Key words: Help-lines, sexual problems, sexual counselling, counsellor training, crank calls.

Study of the sexual imagery in a group of eterosexual men - Erotic imagery is a central aspect of human sexuality and an indicator of psychological and physical well-being. In this study we intend to explore the nature of sexual fantasies in a group of today male heterosexuals. Fifty heterosexual males were interviewed through a self-administred and anony-mous questionnaire. The sample’s average age is 29,89 (range 20-36) and the level of education is rather high. In this research we investigated the following aspects: motivations for intercourse; situations that elicit to erotic fantasies, moments in which the subjects engage in erotic fantasies during sexual activity; situations that elicit to sexual desire; incidence of erotic fantasies during sexual activity and during masturbation. In addition, the contents of erotic imagery were considered by listing the top five fantasies in order of frequency of occurrence. Main results revealed that the motivations for intercourse were associated to else’s desire and physical need. It also results that erotic fantasies in the heterosexuals are mainly triggered by visual stimuli. The majority of participants showed to have erotic fantasies during sexual activity and in particularly during masturbation. This study confirms the importance of imagination in men’s sexuality. Data revealed that men’s fantasies are focused on sexual acts and contain emotive aspects. Results obtained were discussed in light of previous research and literature. Keys words: erotic imagery, erotic fantasies, heterosexual males.

This study analyses the quality of sex life and relationship in an Italian sample of women affected by endometriosis, verifying the hypothesis that women with endometriosis have less sexual and relationship satisfaction than healthy women. The Italian version of McCoy Female Sexuality Questionnaire (MFSQ) was administered to a total sample of 110 Italian women, 55 women with endometriosis and 55 control women, ages 18-45 years (M=30, SD=6), grouped into 3 clusters: 18-29, 30-39 and 40-45 years. A principal component analysis identified the two factors structure, Sexuality and Relationship, founded by Rellini in the Italian version (Rellini et al., 2005). A t test showed that women with endometriosis scored significantly lower in Sexuality and Relationship than healthy women. No significant age differences were found in factors scores. A logistic regression showed that only the sexuality factor significantly predicted the presence of dyspareunia. Key words. Endometriosis, sexuality, quality of life, relationship, chronic pelvic pain, dyspareunia parents.

various studies have suggested that the capacity to procreate is essential to the male identity. For these reasons, the crisis of infertility alters self-esteem and body image, resulting in feelings such as inferiority, depression and anxiety. These psychological repercussions may have an effect on male sexual function. Appropriate psychosexual counselling focused to prevention, diagnosis and treatmant of sexual dysfunctions is needed in Assisted Reproduction programs. Key words: Assisted Reproduction Technology, infertility, male sexual dysfunctions.

The phenomena of sexual abuses seems to be very complex & heterogeneous, therefore we suppose that violent sexual behaviour is due to several casual facts. The goal of this research is to understand more about twisted conception of reality, referring to moral disengagement presented by Albert Bandura (1986), and investigate the mechanisms that facilitate the act of these abuses and allow the offender to carry on with this behaviour. A sample of 13 prisoners arrested for sexual abuses, males aging from 24 to 60 years old, coming from the prison Re- bibbia in Rome, formed the selection for the test. The subjects were given the following tests the Griglia di Rilevazione (De Leo, Pedata, Petruccelli, 2004), in order to obtain a description of the subjects; and the Scale of moral disengagement (Caprara, Barbaranelli, Vicino e Bandura, 1996). The results point to the fact that for the most, the sex offenders undergoing the test make a better use of the mechanism of Moral Justification and Advantageous Comparison, not confirming therefore the true conjecture of the research. Key words: sex offenders, moral disengagement, cognitive distortions, sexual abuse.

Gli Autori affrontano il tema dell’adolescenza ponendo speciale attenzione alla percezione del rischio in questo particolare periodo di vita. Dopo una descrizione delle caratteristiche peculiari di quest’età, incluso il rapporto con la famiglia, con la scuola e con i coetanei viene analizzato il significato che in termini evolutivi il rischio può assumere. Un cenno particolare viene posto alle variabili che influenzano il comportamento a rischio nei giovani.

In questo articolo le Autrici focalizzano l’attenzione sui vari problemi che si pongono quando si voglia affrontare la questione dell’educazione sessuale, per presentare quelle che, nella esperienza dell’Istituto di Sessuologia Clinica di Roma, sono state le riflessioni e le soluzioni operative. Il modello di intervento dell’Istituto viene declinato attraverso la trattazione delle variabili che entrano in gioco nell’implementazione dei progetti educativi: teorie e figure di riferimento, destinatari, obiettivi, contenuti, metodologie, formazione degli operatori. Vengono inoltre offerte indicazioni per i diversi ordini di scuole (elementare, media inferiore, media superiore).

Continua a mancare una legge specifica che regoli l’educazione sessuale ma in molte scuole italiane si svolgono programmi di educazione alla salute, educazione socio-affettiva e sessuale, affidati a insegnanti, psicologi, pedagogisti, medici. Dall’analisi svolta in questo lavoro emerge che la prassi educativa in tema di sessualità è piuttosto variegata, supportata da modelli più rigorosi, integrati o valorizzanti. Vengono qui riassunti i metodi relativi all’educazione sessuale con alto profilo scientifico, proposti dai maggiori gruppi di riferimento italiani. Sebbene le cornici di riferimento teoriche non siano le medesime, i diversi professionisti sembrano concordare nel ritenere che l’educazione sessuale sia un processo che avviene all’interno di una dimensione interpersonale dove educatore ed educando sono entrambi responsabili del legame che creano. L’educazione sessuale è quindi primariamente relazione.