Receptividade sexual por expressão de face: estudo de validade para aplicação >i<on-line>/i<

Abstract

Sexual receptivity as a complex, social and sexual emotion is communicated non-verbally by the facial expression, important in the courtship process. The Sexual Receptivity by Face Expression (SRFE) scale showed good internal consistency (α ≥ 0.80) in the development study with manual/face-to-face application, it is intended to verify the possibility of an imaging instrument that can assist in clinical work, used in online remote care. The objectives were to verify the adaptation and equivalence of the RSEF in the online application; to identify possible differences in the evaluation of the SRFE according to the gender and sexual orientation of the volunteer; and to verify whether the use of oral hormonal contraceptive (OC) interferes in the response of women. Method: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study, with a convenience sample. A total of 257 volunteers over 18 years of age (total N=257; women N=186; mean age 40 years; and men N= 71; mean age 34 years) participated, voluntarily filled out an online form with the SRFE and questions for sociodemographic characterization. Results: In the online application the scale showed good internal consistency (α = 0.90). The gender of the image and of the evaluator, as well as sexual orientation, did not present significant differences in the evaluation of images (ANOVA performed considering Alpha of 0.05, with p >0.05, for group of heterosexual men; heterosexual and non-heterosexual women). Among the group of women in the online application, the mean evaluation of women who reported use of OC (GrOC N=30) and non-users of hormonal contraceptives (GrNOC N= 105) was observed, with no significant differences in the evaluation of these groups (T=0.40, p> 0.05, with 95% confidence, α = 5%). The online application, on average, showed difference compared to the face-to-face application of the instrument construct data (F = 0.78, p< 0.05, with 95% confidence, α = 5%). Discussion: In the online application, image display and response time were not controlled as in the manual/face-to-face application of the SRFE scale construct, the results present evidence of internal validity of the SRFE in the online application. It adds evidence that the gender and sexual orientation of the observer and the use of oral hormonal contraceptives by women do not significantly interfere with the perception of sexual receptivity by face expression in this study sample. The scale can be an instrument of clinical use to compose assessments and interventions, especially to discriminate altered perception from cognitive distortion in emotional recognition. Further studies may explore possible variables that modulate the difference found in application format, sensitivity, and specificity for specific clinical groups.