shadi jazini; Fahimeh Namdarpour; abbas amanelahi
Abstract
Adolescence is one of the most critical stages of life. Homeless adolescents are not only more exposed to sexual harm than others but also miss educational opportunities using effective resources due to isolation and stressful events in their lives. Such adolescents are also more likely to experience ...
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Adolescence is one of the most critical stages of life. Homeless adolescents are not only more exposed to sexual harm than others but also miss educational opportunities using effective resources due to isolation and stressful events in their lives. Such adolescents are also more likely to experience dysfunctional relationships with parents and other people and are also more exposed to trauma and other risk factors that increase the likelihood of unsafe sex. These behaviors include starting sexual intercourse at a young age, having more sexual partners, and insufficient use of contraceptive methods. Accordingly, the present study aimed to provide a qualitative analysis of the sexual problems of adolescents living in boarding welfare centers.MethodThe present study sought to analyze the sexual problems of adolescents living in boarding welfare centers using Colaizzi’s qualitative phenomenological approach. The participants were 15 adolescents who were selected using purposive sampling. The data from the adolescents was collected using semi-structured interviews that continued until data saturation. Each interview lasted about 45 to 60 minutes. The data were clustered into primary themes, subthemes, and main themes. The primary themes were extracted in the first stage. To this end, the themes and the statements from the first interview were extracted and labeled. The subthemes were extracted and categorized after labeling several interviews. At this stage, almost all categories were identified. The data from each interview were confirmed by the participant. After the completion of each interview, the recorded notes and statements were carefully reviewed immediately to ensure the credibility of the data. Moreover, the main codes and themes were examined in several meetings with subject-matter experts, and the validity of the findings was confirmed by the participants and the experts in the field.ResultsThe data were coded and analyzed in three stages. The results revealed 27 primary themes, 9 subthemes, and 3 main themes including sexual traumas, sexual misbehavior, and invalid sexual modeling. DiscussionThe findings showed that adolescents with sexual problems are engaged in sexual traumas, sexually wrong behaviors, and invalid sexual modeling. Thus, to improve the sexual health of adolescents, clear, specific, and practical educational intervention programs need to be formulated and implemented.
