Sexuality education – do our children need it? Perspective of parents from coastal South India

ABSTRACT

Sexuality education although essential in today’s world remains a taboo and a hotly debated topic. This is linked to uncertainties associated with the topic and varied perceptions by parents, teachers and community members, which are in turn influenced by prevailing religious and cultural beliefs. In this cross-sectional study, 233 parents of adolescent children were assessed regarding their perceptions and practices of providing sexuality education to their children. The mean age of study participants was 44.3 ± 6.5 years. Of the 202 parents who believed sexuality education should be provided to their children, 59.9% (N = 121) provided it themselves. Among the remaining 81 parents who believed in the importance of providing sexuality education but did not provide it to their children, the most common reason was that the children would learn about the issues on their own and that they, as parents, were uncomfortable discussing it with their children. This study demonstrated that, although a large proportion of parents were aware of the value of sexual education and were in favour of its inclusion in academic curriculum, not all of them were able to effectively provide it to their children.

KEYWORDS:

• Sex education
• adolescents
• sexuality
• parents
• India

Acknowledgments

We thank the Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education for their support for this research and its publication.

Disclosure statement

There are no conflicts of interest to declare.