Sexual knowledge and beliefs of IsiXhosa-speaking adolescents: an exploratory study

Abstract

This study explored indigenous community adolescents’ perceptions of parent caregiver sexual support. The participants were 174 IsiXhosa speaking adolescents (female = 58.1%; age range = 16 to 18 years). They completed the Parents Sex Education, General View on Sexuality, Sexual Knowledge, and Sexual Beliefs and Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale. Following the Multivariate Analysis of Variance the results revealed the adolescents who perceived their parents with higher parent- child sexual education had a lower sexual behaviour risk profile than those who perceived their parents with lower parent- child sexual education. Parent-child sexual education can stimulate healthy sexual development and provide adolescents with sexual knowledge, skills, and efficacy for safer sexual engagements.