Adolescents and Sexual Violence: Qualitative Analysis of Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviour

Abstract

Sexual violence is a social problem that is still insufficiently discussed in society. Considering that many people will experience some form of sexual violence by the age of 18, and that the period of adolescence is a time of creating attitudes and beliefs about interpersonal relationships, as well as a period of risky behavior, this research was conducted on a convenient sample of adolescents, male and female, at the age of eighteen. Qualitative methodology was used, specifically the semi-structured interview method,
and the research focus in this work is sexual violence from the perspective of adolescents, ie knowledge, attitudes and behaviors of adolescents related to sexual violence. Four interviews were conducted with adult adolescents attending high school in the city of Zagreb through open-ended questions and two vignettes – one showing a situation in which naked photos of classmates were shared, and the other inappropriate touching of the buttocks “stabbing”. The obtained results indicate the rejection of existing
myths and prejudices about sexual violence in society. Adolescents show a basic level of knowledge of sexual violence with the need for a deeper understanding of the issue of sexual violence in the area of forms of sexual violence and the consequences of sexual violence. In terms of behavior, it is shown that adolescents assume the role of observers more when witnessing sexual violence than active in reporting sexual violence. Through research, we discovered that it is necessary to work on the education of adolescents and to introduce consistent measures to stop sexual violence in schools.