Conoscenze e comportamenti degli adolescenti in ambito affettivo-sessuale: una ricerca esplorativa

This work presents the results of an exploratory study on adolescents’ sexual and relational-emotional knowledge, sources of information, and behaviors. The study also investigates adolescents’ risky experiences in both real and virtual life. The sample consists of 1522 adolescents of Italian nationality with age range between 12 and 18 years (44% males and 56% females), who completed an online self-report questionnaire. Results show that, contrary to their perception, adolescents’ knowledge about sexuality and emotionality is rather scarce. They refer primarily to parents, friends, and, to a considerable extent, to the Internet to get information about sexuality. In addition, the percentage of sexually active adolescents who report to enact risky behaviors, especially among the youngest (12- 14 years), is noteworthy. Finally, a consistent percentage of adolescents report to receive or send “sensual” photo through the Internet and to receive requests to provide personal material/information by strangers.