Reducing Health Effects on Deceit in Heterosexual Sexual-Affective Relationships: The Impact of the Preventive Socialization Program (PSP)

Background: Health research has provided robust evidence of the negative effects caused by facing deceit in sexual-affective relationships. In this regard, several analyses have been conducted addressing psychological, family therapies, and educational interventions to improve marital problems. On the other hand, many investigations have addressed how the preventive socialization program (PSP), framed on the analysis of a dominant coercive discourse that is connected with the promotion of specific traditional masculine models, impacts on young people’s relationships free of violence. However, the link between deceit, health, and the PSP has not yet been analyzed. To cover this gap, a qualitative study has been performed with a methodology framed on the communicative approach. We enrolled heterosexual women and men aged 25 to 42 years old who have been in contact with the PSP and have experienced or know of any cases of deceit. Two different analytical categories emerged from the analysis, which distinguishes between exclusionary and transformative dimensions. Findings show that the majority of people involved in PSP were able to understand the reasons for deceit as well as to take decisions in their further sexual-affective relationships. Therefore, this study corroborates that access to scientific evidence in the framework of PSP is positively impacting interviewees’ health status.