Adolescent Sexuality: Intervene with Reflective Methodologies Analysing Their Impact

Background: According to the World Health Organization, the development towards sexuality should be associated to the promotion of physical, emotional and social well-being. Thus emerges the need to work with teens on the issues related to knowledge and attitudes concerning sexuality, debating and reflecting on everyday situation of social life.

Objective: Testing the effectiveness of an educational intervention in terms of family planning, reproduction, sexually transmitted diseases and attitudes towards sexuality among adolescents and the effectiveness of such an intervention on a large sample.

 

Research Methods: The field work developed into two studies. In the first field trial 90 adolescents participated (48 in the control group, with an average age of 14.15 (SD=0.743) and 42 in the experimental group with an average age of 14.02 (SD=0.841). This was the subject of reflective training intervention. In the second, descriptive and correlational, 840 adolescents participated, with a average age of 14:44 (SD=0.856). The evaluation protocol includes a questionnaire to characterise the sample and four scales constructed for this purpose to assess knowledge about family planning, reproduction, sexually transmitted and attitudes towards sexuality. Data collection occurred before and after the intervention in the experimental group. In the control group, the data collection coincided with the experimental group. In the enlarged sample, data collection occurred before and after the intervention.

 

Findings: After the training intervention, higher averages, (p<0.01), were recorded for the experimental group for the variables in the study. In the enlarged sample, despite differences found after the intervention, these did not prove significant. There was an increase of knowledge in the areas under study as well as attitudes.

Conclusions: Sexuality is an area of potential risk for adolescents, due to early sexual activity, thus educational interventions where adolescents reflect on issues concerning sexuality are relevant in order to reduce vulnerability.