Educational intervention on sexual violence to empower university students in developing healthy affective-sexual relationships

Introduction: Sexual violence (SV) is frequent in universities, and a link has been demonstrated between SV and toxic substance use by university students in leisure settings. In Spain there is little scientific evidence in this regard, and SV prevention programmes are practically non-existent in Sp...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Berenguer Simon, Alba, Ballester Ferrando, David, Rascón Hernán, Carolina, Reyes Amargant, Zaira, Rodríguez-Martín, Dolors, Fuentes Pumarola, Concepció
Tipo de documento: artigo
Estado:Versão publicada
Data de publicação:2024
País:España
Recursos:Universidad de Barcelona
Repositório:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/217349
Acesso em linha:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/217349
Access Level:Acceso aberto
Palavra-chave:Relacions sexuals
Violència
Estudiants universitaris
Sexual intercourse
Violence
College students
Descrição
Resumo:Introduction: Sexual violence (SV) is frequent in universities, and a link has been demonstrated between SV and toxic substance use by university students in leisure settings. In Spain there is little scientific evidence in this regard, and SV prevention programmes are practically non-existent in Spanish universities. Objectives: To develop, implement, and evaluate an educational awareness-raising intervention regarding SV aimed at empowering university students to develop healthy affective-sexual relationships. Methods: Participatory action research intervention, implemented with a convenience sample of students recruited in a public university and qualitatively evaluated using a phenomenological approach. Results: The sample was composed of 22 women students, whose discourse revealed that SV acts are normalized in university leisure settings featured by the consumption of alcohol and other drugs. Post-intervention, the participants showed an increased understanding of SV, a heightened awareness of SV, and a greater capacity to identify SV acts. The intervention empowered the participants in terms of coping with SV situations and in raising awareness in their own social circles. Conclusions:The intervention changed the participants' attitudes and behaviours regarding SV, empowering them not only regarding their own affective-sexual relationships, but also in censoring attitudes and behaviours that foster SV, and in transmitting their acquired knowledge of SV in their social circles. Post-intervention, the participants considered themselves to be agents of social change in their environment and in terms of healthy affective-sexual relationships. Public contribution: University students participated in and evaluated an intervention that trained them to identify and to censor attitudes and behaviours that promote SV, empowered them as engines of social change, and showed them how to foster healthy affective-sexual relationships.