Prevention of sexually transmitted infections in the sexual scripts of young people: differences according to gender

This study aims to address the vulnerability of young university students to sexually transmitted infections and to identify and analyze the sexual behavior of university students and practices to prevent sexually transmitted infections. A descriptive and qualitative research study conducted in a private university in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, with 30 university students of both genders, aged 18-29 years old. The discursive data were collected by the Focal Group technique and analyzed using the content analysis technique, with the aid of the Nvivo 9.0 software, and anchored in John Gagnon's theory of sexual scripts. The findings denote that university students recognize themselves as a population vulnerable to infections transmitted by unprotected sex. The group has insufficient knowledge about infections and does not use condoms continuously. In the discourses of the university students, it was noticed that the type of affective relationship is determinant for the use (or not) of condoms. Young people believe in the group's invulnerability and therefore assume risky sexual behaviors.