Knowledge, experiences and attitudes about sexual rights and reproductive rights in adolescents and young people

Abstract

The Model of Friendly Health Services for Adolescents and Young People (SSAAJ for its acronym in Spanish) corresponds to a process created to guarantee that health institutions generate spaces and forms of comprehensive and differential care for the population between 10 and 29 years of age, allowing the Sexual Rights and Reproductive Rights (DSDR for its acronym in Spanish) according to the health needs and expectations that affect them. Objective: to investigate the knowledge, attitudes and experiences in DSDR in a group of adolescents and young people linked to the SSAAJ. Materials and methods: through a qualitative study with a phenomenological design, 13 semi-structured interviews were conducted with adolescents and young people between 13 and 21 years of age. Results: regarding knowledge about DSDR, male adolescents have some notions about human rights, but are unaware of the different DSDR that exist. In women there is more knowledge about DSDR. The attitudes of adolescents towards DSDR are favorable once they identify what they represent in the approach to sexuality. However, they consider that their experiences regarding the exercise of DSDR are limited for their enforceability and guarantee due to the lack of knowledge they have from them. Conclusions: it was found that the knowledge, attitudes and experiences of adolescents and young people about DSDR are influenced by family and cultural factors that impact their life trajectories.