Antonio Fuertes

University of Salamanca

Sexuality and Sexual Coercion in Adolescents and Youth

Participants: Amanda Fuertes Hernández1; Andrés A. Fernández-Fuertes2; Isabel Vicario-Molina1 and Eva González Ortega1

1University of Salamanca; 2University of Cantabria

Symposium Summary

Introduction: Adolescence and youth are especially important stages in sexual development. Although for most boys and girls the sexual experience favours and contributes to personal and relational well-being, sometimes involvement in behaviours and relationships where their needs and desires are not respected can compromise this well-being. Methods: In the following works, different methodologies have been used, both qualitative and quantitative, as a way of fulfilling the different objectives set out in each of them. Results: Among the most relevant results we could highlight: a) the satisfaction of sexual needs in adolescents and young people is closely related to how the relational context contributes to the resolution or limitation of basic psychological needs, b) myths about sexual aggression and poor sexual assertiveness, especially among adolescent males, are related to the perpetration of sexual violence in adolescence, c) the perception of young men and women about possible scenarios of sexual coercion continues to be marked by the existence of myths, although women perceive more danger and relate coercion more to the power imbalance in relationships. Discussion: Taking into account the above-mentioned results, a programme for the prevention of sexual coercion in adolescence is presented, which contemplates intervention on individual, relational and community variables, and which addresses, among other factors, beliefs about sexual coercion, assertiveness in heterosocial relationships, perceived control and self-efficacy in the face of sexual coercion, and attitudes towards sexual consent.

Short CV

Professor of the Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Salamanca

Head of the Social Affairs Service of the University of Salamanca.

Clinical Psychologist Specialist.

Head of the Research Group on Sexuality and Interpersonal Relations of the USAL.

Co-director of the Master's Degree in Family and Couple's Therapy of the USAL.

Coordinator of the Doctorate Programmes in "Sexuality, Couple and Family" and "Sexuality and Interpersonal Relations" at USAL for more than two decades.

Main researcher of several R+D+i Projects.

Author of numerous research articles, books and book chapters related to affective and sexual development.

Professor in numerous postgraduate programmes in national and Latin American universities.

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