Sex and Affective Education at University: Evaluation of the Training of Students

Abstract

There is currently a scarcity of training proposals at university related with sex and affective education. The present work analyzes the impact on university students of an intervention in sex education implemented through training programs, in both virtual and in-person formats. A study was conducted with 143 participants enrolled in different university degrees, following a quasi-experimental (pre–post) method with three groups, through the administration of a questionnaire composed by 138 items organized into five scales and was collected at three different times of measurement (previous evaluation, evaluation after the training period, and a final evaluation three months after the training). The results indicate that the students experienced a significant improvement on their knowledge about sexuality, with a ceiling effect detected in the scores of concepts such as attitude towards sex education, gender-based violence, intercultural sentimental relationships, and self-esteem. The conclusions revealed the need to introduce sex and affective education training in the teaching and learning processes in university contexts, through the official curricula of the undergraduate and post-graduate degrees that focus on human groups.