Parents’ and experts’ views on the sexual health education of adolescent girls: a qualitative study

Abstract

This qualitative study was conducted using a content analysis approach. Purposeful sampling was performed with 28 participants (21 mothers and seven fathers) through in-depth, semi-structured individual interviews, two focus group discussions, and five interviews with key informants. All interviews were recorded and typed. Data were analyzed using conventional content analysis and software MAXqda2010. Analysis of participants’ perspectives and experiences showed the three categories including (1) Challenges of sexual health education (challenge between tradition and modernity, poor parental self-efficacy, cultural resistance, inadequate parental sexual knowledge and matching with socio-cultural developments, lack of access to valid educational references and government counseling services, parents’ negative attitude towards sexual issues and poor parent-child interactions), (2) The necessity of sexual health education (strengthening of self-control skill in adolescents, reduction in high-risk behaviors, enhancement of sexual self-esteem, emotional and sexual damage, reduction in media and cyberspace and satellite misuse), and (3) Parents’ educational needs for sexual health (physical changes of puberty, psychological characteristics of puberty, cognition and ways to prevent high-risk behaviors, ways to manage offspring’s sexual behaviors, communication skills between parents and children, mutual perception and building trust, and commitment and responsibility of parents towards the sexual education of the offspring).