Desire thinking as a predictor of compulsive sexual behaviour in adolescents: Evidence from a cross-cultural validation of the Hebrew version of the Desire Thinking Questionnaire.

Yaniv Efrati,Daniel C Kolubinski,Marcantonio M Spada,Gabriele Caselli

doi:10.1556/2006.2020.00062

Yaniv Efrati, Daniel C Kolubinski + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2020.00062

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Abstract

BackgroundDesire thinking is a voluntary cognitive process that involves the perseverative focus on memories, images and information related to a desired target. The aim of the present study was to validate the Hebrew version of the Desire Thinking Questionnaire (DTQ; Caselli & Spada, 2011) in a sample of adolescents and to investigate its relationship with measures of thought suppression, impulsivity and individual-based compulsive sexual behaviour.MethodsIn Study 1, a convenience sample of 718 adolescents completed the newly translated Desire Thinking Questionnaire in Hebrew (DTQ-H) and results were subjected to an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). In Study 2, a convenience sample of 379 adolescents completed a battery of questionnaires including the DTQ-H. A Confirmatory Factors Analysis was performed on the DTQ-H and validity was ascertained by correlating with other measures.ResultsIn Study 1, a 9-item two-factor structure was identified. A 6-item two-factor structure was confirmed in Study 2. Results also indicated that the DTQ-H has acceptable levels of reliability, and good concurrent and incremental validity in predicting compulsive sexual behaviour.ConclusionsThe 6-item DTQ-H appears to be a reliable and valid measure of desire thinking and may be used also on adolescents – an understudied population.

Highlights

The three aims of the current research were to: (1) validate one of the most extensively used questionnaires for desire thinking – the Desire Thinking Questionnaire (DTQ; Caselli & Spada, 2011) – in adolescents in order to open a new avenue for research on desire thinking; (2) determine the predictive capacity of the DTQ for compulsive sexual behaviour (CSB) independently of the established related cognitive and behavioural dispositions – thought suppression and impulsivity; and (3) explore the association between desire thinking and CSB that was found among adults in adolescents
A convenience sample of 718 adolescents (464 female; mean age 5 15.83 years [SD 5 1.36; range 14–18 years]) was recruited for this study and completed the preliminary version of the Hebrew version of the Desire Thinking Questionnaire in Hebrew (DTQ-H). 93.4% of the sample were born in Israel, with 65% classifying themselves as secular and 35% as religious
Similar to the results of the original DTQ, the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) led to a two-factor solution, which accounted for 56.26% of the variance and the estimated correlation between the two factors was 0.68 (Table 1 shows the factor loadings of the individual items)

Summary

Introduction

Desire thinking is a voluntary cognitive process that involves the perseverative focus on memories, images and information related to a desired target (Caselli & Spada, 2011). Desire thinking is a voluntary cognitive process that involves the perseverative focus on memories, images and information related to a desired target. The aim of the present study was to validate the Hebrew version of the Desire Thinking Questionnaire (DTQ; Caselli & Spada, 2011) in a sample of adolescents and to investigate its relationship with measures of thought suppression, impulsivity and individual-based compulsive sexual behaviour. Methods: In Study 1, a convenience sample of 718 adolescents completed the newly translated Desire Thinking Questionnaire in Hebrew (DTQ-H) and results were subjected to an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Conclusions: The 6-item DTQ-H appears to be a reliable and valid measure of desire thinking and may be used on adolescents – an understudied population

Methods

Results

Conclusion