Event organised by the PROMOBIENESTAR University Chair, in collaboration with DIGITASweb https://digitasweb.com/.
On 28 April 2025, an awareness-raising campaign was held focusing on the identification, understanding and prevention of toxic relationships.
The event took place at the entrance to the Library on the Las Lagunillas Campus at the University of Jaén, and was held in the morning. During the event, various activities were carried out to highlight the characteristics of this type of relationship, as well as to promote their detection and prevention. This initiative is accompanied by an awareness-raising programme aimed at the university community and society in general, with the aim of explaining what toxic relationships are, what their main characteristics are, and how they can affect people’s emotional, social and psychological well-being.
During the campaign, participants were provided with information on toxic relationships, as well as the opportunity to learn about the DIGITASweb tool, which was rated as useful and interesting by those who took part. The campaign consisted of two brief activities: the “message traffic light” and an introspection poster.
The “message traffic light” consisted of a three-colour scale accompanied by a series of messages typical of toxic relationships. Green indicated that the person perceived the message as unimportant or routine; yellow referred to cases where the message might lead to a discussion, with the aim of resolving the situation and pointing out that such behaviour was inappropriate; and, finally, red represented messages that the person would not allow themselves to receive or send under any circumstances.
The aim of this activity was to encourage reflection on the normalisation of such messages and their significance, as they all form part of different stages of the cycle of violence. After completing this activity, participants were invited to place a post-it note indicating whether they had ever made comments of this kind or, conversely, had received them. This exercise aimed to raise awareness of experiences that can sometimes go unnoticed or be overlooked.
Finally, all participants received flashcards bearing the message that no level of violence is acceptable, regardless of its intensity.
The initiative was led by Irune Mata and Lidia Ullate, psychology undergraduates on work placements at the University of Jaén, alongside Nuria Fernández, a research initiation fellow at the UJA. Furthermore, the event was organised thanks to Lourdes Espinosa Fernández, director of the DIGITAS project and co-director of the Promobienestar Chair.
DIGITAS, a digital tool for the transfer of content and resources to address social anxiety disorder and other emotional problems in adolescents, is a proof-of-concept project (PDC2021-121882-100), funded by the State Research Agency of the Ministry of Science and Innovation (MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/) and by the European Union’s “Next-GenerationEU”/PRTR programme.
