Diagnosis of knowledge on sexuality among adolescents

Silva, Sílvia Manuela Dias Tavares da; Vieira Ferreira, Maria Margarida da Silva; Amaral-Bastos, Maria Manuela; Monteiro, Maria Amélia José; Couto, Germano Rodrigues

doi:10.37689/acta-ape/2020AO0210

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Tabla de contenido

Original Article • Acta Paul Enferm 33 • 2020 • https://doi.org/10.37689/acta-ape/2020AO0210 linkcopy

Diagnosis of knowledge on sexuality among adolescents

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Objectives To diagnose adolescents’ knowledge of sexuality for posterior implementation of a specific and targeted intervention program.

Methods This was a quantitative-based cross-sectional (observational/descriptive) study including a population of 250 students enrolled in year ten of secondary education. A questionnaire for sociodemographic characterization was applied along with the Questionnaire on Sexuality Knowledge (QCS), which consisted of 25 questions in a dichotomous (true/false) answer scale separated into six dimensions.

Results The convenience sample of 136 teenagers aged between 14 and 19 years. The majority of participants were men (54.4%). Mean knowledge was 18.6 (DP = 2.71); areas where adolescents showed the least knowledge are the following: “first sexual relation and sexual concerns”; “pregnancy prevention”; e “counseling and care in sexual and reproductive health”. The only significant difference between dimensions was for “pregnancy prevention” (girls show higher knowledge). Factors positively impacting adolescents’ knowledge are the parents’ formal education level (higher education, especially for mothers) and one of the parents be a healthcare provider.

Conclusion The need to develop an intervention program targeting the reality of schools was identified, based on the areas of “first sexual relation and sexual concerns”; “pregnancy prevention”; and “counseling and care in sexual and reproductive health”. The program should target gender differences and, especially, considering boys.

Sexualitty; Adolescent; Sex education; Community health nursing; Sexually transmitted diseases/prevention & control; Adolescent behavior

Characteristics	n(%)		M (SD)		p-value
Sex
Boys	74(54.4)		18.4 (2.84)		0.551 (b)
Girls	62(45.6)		18.8 (2.54)		0.551 (b)
Age groups
[12-14] years	2(1.5)		18.0 (2.8)		0.744 (c)
[15-17] years	130(95.6)		18.6 (2.6)
[18-19] years	4(2.9)		18.3 (1.0)
Area of study
Sciences	67(49.3)		19.1 (2.1)		0.393 (c)
Humanities	37(27.2)		18.4 (2.6)
Visual Arts	11(8.1)		17.8 (4.5)
Economic/Social Sciences	4(2.9)		19.0 (1.4)
Vocational Course (Computing)	17(12.5)		17.5 (3.4)
Members of family who he/she lived with (most Significant)
Parents and siblings	62(45.6)		18.9 (2.6)		0.259 (c)
Parents	27(19.9)		17.9 (3.0)
Mother and brother	16(11.8)		19.0 (2.2)
Mother	12(8.2)		18.3 (3.2)
Father	3(2.2)		17.7 (1.5)
Mother and grandparents	3(2.2)		18.0 (2.6)
Parents. siblings. and grandparents	1(0.7)		17.0 (4.2)
Parents and siblings	1(0.7)		14.0 -
Mother. siblings. and grandparents	1(0.7)		19.0 -
Mother. siblings. and stepfather	1(0.7)		22.0 -
Grandparents	1(0.7)		17.0 -
marital Status of parents
Single	11(8.1)		19.3 (3.1)		0.503 (c)
Married	70(51.5)		18.2 (2.7)
Domestic partnership	6(4.4)		18.3 (3.2)
Divorced/separated	42(30.9)		19.1 (2.6)
Widowed	6(4.4)		18.0 (2.3)
Education level of parents	Mother	Father	Mother	Father	Mother	Father
Basic and secondary school	77(56.6)	84(61.8)	18.1 (2.7)	18.4 (2.7)	0.037 (b)	0.191 (b)
Higher education	56(41.2)	45(33.1)	19.3 (2.6)	19.1 (2.6)
No answer	3 (2.2)	7(5.1)	18.7 (3.1)	17.7 (2.9)
Occupation of parents ^(a)	Mother	Father	Mother	Father	Mother	Father
A	- -	1(0.7)	19 -	- -	0.066 (c)	0.471 (c)
B	12(8.8)	15(11.0)	19.1(2.4)	18.93 (2.6)
C	35(25.7)	35(25.7)	19.8 (2.3)	19.0 (2.3)
D	14(10.3)	9(6.6)	19.0 (1.8)	19.4 (2.1)
E	19(14.0)	10(7.4)	17.6 (2.8)	17.9 (1.9)
F	28(20.6)	18(13.2)	18.1 (2.8)	18.0 (3.3)
G	- -	1(0.7)	- -	22.0 -
H	2(1.5)	13(9.6)	19.5 (0.7)	17.7 (2.9)
I	1(0.7)	3(2.2)	22.0 -	20.3 (1.2)
Unemployed	15(11.0)	11(8.1)	17.9 (3.0)	19.2 (2.1)
Retired	1(0.7)	- -	18.0 -	- -
Homemaker	1(0.7)	- -	20.0 -	- -
No Answer	8(5.9)	20(14.7)	16.6 (3.6)	17.9 (3.6)

Characteristics	n(%)	M (SD)	p-value
Parents working in healthcare
At least one parent working in healthcare	18 (13.2)	20 (2.2)	0.027 (a)
None of the parents working in healthcare	113 (83.1)	18.5 (2.6)
No response	5 (3.7)	16 (4.2)
Marital Status of Parents
Married/Domestic Partnership	75 (55.2)	18.3 (0.32)	0.345 (a)
Other	60 (44.1)	18.9 (0.34)
No response	1 (0.7)	16.6 -

Characteristics	QCS Dimensions (mean/SD)
Characteristics	D1	D2	D3	D4	D5	D6
Total Classification	2.72 (0.90)	2.80 (0.49)	4.52 (0.97)	1.25 (0.69)	5.00 (1.27)	1.27 (0.56)
Sex
Boys	2.82 (0.90)	2.74 (.58)	4.55 (.92)	1.12 (.62)	5.11 (1.31)	1.26 (.55)
Girls	2.60 (.90)	2.87 (.38)	4.48 (1.04)	1.40 (.74)	4.87 (1.22)	1.29 (.58)
P (b)	0.143	0.125	0.677	0.018	0.280	0.731
Age groups
[12-14] years	3.50 (0.71)	2.50 (0.71)	5.50 (0.71)	1.00 (0.00)	4.50 (0.71)	2.00 (0.00)
[15-17] years	2.72 (0.91)	2.82 (0.48)	4.51 (0.97)	1.25 (0.69)	5.10 (1.29)	1.26 (0.57)
[18-19] years	2.25 (0.50)	2.50 (1.0)	4.50 (1.29)	1.50 (0.58)	5.00 (0.82)	1.25 (0.50)
P (b)	0.194	0.347	0.301	0.634	0.656	0.158
Education level of mother
Basic and Secondary School	2.64 (0.87)	2.79 (0.27)	4.38 (1.00)	1.19 (0.50)	4.87 (1.39)	1.18 (0.53)
Higher Education	2.86 (0.94)	2.80 (0.23)	4.73 (0.82)	1.32 (0.64)	5.18 (1.09)	1.39 (0.59)
No Answer	2.33 (0.58)	3.0 (0.00)	4.33 (1.16)	1.33 (1.16)	5.00 (1.00)	1.33 (0.58)
p (b)	0.214	0.758	0.101	0.584	0.543	0.081
Education level of father
Basic and Secondary School	2.68 (0.93)	2.77 (0.55)	4.48 (0.94)	1.26 (0.68)	4.88 (1.31)	1.27 (0.59)
Higher Education	2.80 (0.89)	2.82 (0.44)	4.58 (0.99)	1.24 (0.68)	5.24 (1.15)	1.31 (0.51)
No Answer	2.71 (4.88)	3.0 (0.00)	4.71 (1.38)	1.14 (0.90)	4.86 (1.46)	1.0 (0.58)
p (b)	0.641	0.499	0.522	0.950	0.368	0.432
Parents working in healthcare
At least one parent working in healthcare	2.83 (0.71)	2.89 (0.32)	4.78 (0.94)	1.56 (0.51)	5.40 (1.19)	1.28 (0.58)
None of the parents working in healthcare	2.73 (0.94)	2.81 (0.49)	4.50 (0.97)	1.20 (0.69)	4.90 (1.25)	1.26 (0.56)
No response	2.20 (0.45)	2.4 (0.89)	4.0 (1.23)	1.20 (0.84)	4.0 (1.58)	1.6 (0.55)
p (b)	0.232	0.239	0.320	0.146	0.100	0.403

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[TFN1001] M = mean; SD: standard deviation; a) As per the National Classification of Occupations: A) Occupations in the armed forces; B) Representative of legislative power and executive organs; C) Intellectual and scientific experts; D) Technicians and intermediary-level occupations; E) Administrative staff; F) Workers of personal. protection. and safety services and salespeople; G) Workers skilled in farming and agricultural trades; H) Workers skilled in industrial. construction and operational trades; I) Field-service and machinery workers and industrial assembly workers. “unemployed”. “retired”. and “homemaker” were added. as they did not fit any of the categories; b) Mann-Whitney; c) Kruskal-Wallis.