A Systematic Review of Online Sex Addiction and Clinical Treatments Using CONSORT Evaluation

Researchers have suggested that the advances of the Internet over the past two decades have gradually eliminated traditional offline methods of obtaining sexual material. Additionally, research on cybersex and/or online sex addictions has increased alongside the development of online technology. The present study extended the findings from Griffiths’ (2012) systematic empirical review of online sex addiction by additionally investigating empirical studies that implemented and/or documented clinical treatments for online sex addiction in adults. A total of nine studies were identified and then each underwent a CONSORT evaluation. The main findings of the present review provide some evidence to suggest that some treatments (both psychological and/or pharmacological) provide positive outcomes among those experiencing difficulties with online sex addiction. Similar to Griffiths’ original review, this study recommends that further research is warranted to establish the efficacy of empirically driven treatments for online sex addiction

Natural course of behavioral addictions: A 5-year longitudinal study

BACKGROUND: Resolving the theoretical controversy on the labeling of an increasing number of excessive behaviors as behavioral addictions may also be facilitated by more empirical data on these behavioral problems. For instance, an essential issue to the classification of psychiatric disorders is information on their natural course. However, longitudinal research on the chronic vs. episodic nature of behavioral addictions is scarce. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to provide data on prevalence, substance use comorbidity, and five-year trajectories of six excessive behaviors—namely exercising, sexual behavior, shopping, online chatting, video gaming, and eating. METHODS: Analyses were based on the data of the Quinte Longitudinal Study, where a cohort of 4,121 adults from Ontario, Canada was followed for 5 years (2006 to 2011). The response rate was 21.3%, while retention rate was 93.9%. To assess the occurrence of each problem behavior, a single self-diagnostic question asked people whether their over-involvement in the behavior had caused significant problems for them in the past 12 months. To assess the severity of each problem behavior reported, the Behavioral Addiction Measure was administered. A mixed design ANOVA was used to investigate symptom trajectories over time for each problem behavior and whether these symptom trajectories varied as a function of sex. RESULTS: The large majority of people reported having problematic over-involvement for just one of these behaviors and just in a single time period. A main effect of time was found for each problem behavior, indicating a moderately strong decrease in symptom severity across time. The time x sex interaction was insignificant in each model indicating that the decreasing trend is similar for males and females. The data also showed that help seeking was very low in the case of excessive sexual behavior, shopping, online chatting, and video gaming but substantially more prevalent in the case of excessive eating and exercising. CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that self-identified excessive exercising, sexual behavior, shopping, online chatting, video gaming, and/or eating tend to be fairly transient for most people. This aspect of the results is inconsistent with conceptualizations of addictions as progressive in nature, unless treated. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12888-015-0383-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Hybridization in howler monkeys: current understanding and future directions

Hybridization, or the process by which individuals from genetically distinct populations (e.g., species, subspecies) mate and produce at least some offspring, is of great relevance to understanding the basis of reproductive isolation and, in some cases, the origins of biodiversity. Natural hybridization among primates has been well known for a few taxa, but just recently the genetic confirmation of hybridization on a number of taxa has produced new awareness of the prevalence of this phenomenon in primates and its importance in primate evolution. The study of hybridization of Alouatta pigra and A. palliata in Mexico was among the first to genetically confirm the current occurrence of hybridization in primates. Following this study, other reports of hybridization across primate taxa have shown that this phenomenon is more widespread in the Primate order than was initially expected. Within the genus Alouatta, there have been reports on the presence of hybridization between A. caraya and A. guariba in a number of contact zones in Brazil and Argentina, and various studies are currently ongoing in some of these sites to understand the extent and patterns of hybridization between these species. In this chapter, we evaluate the extent of hybridization in the genus Alouatta, revise the current knowledge of the genetic and morphological aspects of these hybrid systems, and identify future directions in the study of hybridization within this genus, to understand the possible implications of the hybridization process in the evolutionary history of howler monkeys.Fil: Cortés Ortiz, Liliana. University of Michigan; Estados UnidosFil: Agostini, Ilaria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú | Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Instituto de Biología Subtropical. Instituto de Biología Subtropical - Nodo Puerto Iguazú; Argentina. Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico; ArgentinaFil: Aguiar, Lucas M.. Universidade Federal da Integração Latinoamericana; BrasilFil: Kelaita, Mary. University of Texas; Estados UnidosFil: Silva, Felipe Ennes. Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá; BrasilFil: Bicca Marques, Julio Cesar. Pontificia Universidade Catolica Do Rio Grande Do Sul. Facultad de Biociencias; Brasi