The Influence of Television on Adolescent Girls' Sexual Attitudes and Behaviour in a South African Setting

Abstract

This study explored how television influences the sexual attitudes and behaviour of adolescent girls in a South African urban setting. A total of 4 adolescent girls participated (average age = 16 years old, range = 15–17 years old). Data was collected using in-depth interviews. Thematic content analysis (Neuman, 2006) was used for the data summarization. The results of the study suggest that television viewing influences the adolescent girls' sexual attitudes and behaviour towards permissiveness. Participants also indicated being influenced by parents and peers in their sexual attitudes.

Keywords:

• adolescents
• qualitative research
• sexual attitude
• sexual behaviour
• television
• thematic content analysis