P015Acculturative processes in the generation and evolution of family planning stigma: Lessons from the los angeles filipinx/a/o family planning study

Abstract

<h3>Objectives</h3> Filipinx people in the US experience adverse reproductive health outcomes, possibly potentiated by cultural stigmas around family planning and legal restrictions on family planning in the Philippines that limit care seeking. Few researchers have explored intergenerational transmission of family planning stigma or how exposure to new cultures may modify beliefs. We explored enculturation to Filipinx sexual norms; attitudes, knowledge, and experiences with sex, abortion, and contraception; and the influence of acculturation on family planning perspectives among Filipinx women residing in Los Angeles. <h3>Methods</h3> We conducted a community-based, qualitative, cross-sectional study. A five-person community advisory team guided study design, recruitment, and analysis. Participants completed a demographic survey, a validated Filipinx-American acculturation scale, and a virtual in-depth interview. Interviews were thematically analyzed. <h3>Results</h3> We interviewed 33 women (aged 19–50); 36% had lived in the Philippines >1 year. All respondents were raised in Christian religions (88% Catholic); 45% still practiced their childhood religion. All participants were highly acculturated. Themes included (1) parental authority and <i>tsismis</i> (gossip) as mechanisms to generate/reinforce sexual norms; (2) liberalizing sociopolitical and personal experiences altering family planning beliefs; and (3) engagement in family planning as part of a larger decolonizing/unlearning process. Participants desired factual, interactive, and possibly anonymous sources of comprehensive sex education and Filipinx community group partnerships to facilitate related intergenerational discussions. <h3>Conclusions</h3> Though Filipinx women in Los Angeles internalize cultural stigma surrounding sex and family planning services, some evolve from their initial anti–family planning beliefs. Factors that expand perspectives beyond childhood/cultural teachings toward support for family planning include political exposure, experiences of trusted acquaintances, and objective sex education.