“It's a touchy subject”: Latino adolescent sexual risk behaviors in the school context

Abstract

Adverse sexual health outcomes remain disproportionately high for Latino adolescents. To examine sexual risk behaviors in Latino adolescents, we conducted in-depth interviews with 18 Latino parents and 13 school staff members and carried out one year of fieldwork in the school and community. “It’s a touchy subject [sex] here” exemplified the reluctance of addressing sexual risk behaviors. Community and systems-level strategies are recommended.

Testing the Feasibility of¡Cuídate!With Mexican and Central American Youth in a Rural Region of a Southern State

“…Several community and societal factors place Latino youth at disproportionate risk for sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancy. These factors include social policies, migration pressures, and cultural practices (Alvarez et al, ; Larson, ; Larson, Sandelowski, & McQuiston, ). Newly‐arrived immigrants in rural regions of the US do not have the benefit of social support systems or access to established health services (Larson, ).…”

“…Ambiguous school policies combined with school officials' stereotyping of sexual behaviors have led to confusion about the schools' obligation to report, monitor, and control risky sexual behaviors (Larson et al, ). Latino parents' cultural beliefs and values make communication about sexual health with their teenage children a challenge for some (Guilamo‐Ramos, Bouris, Jaccard, Lesesne, & Ballan, ; Whitmire & Buescher, ; Wilson, Dalberth, Koo, & Gard, ).…”

Feasibility Testing a Family-Level Intervention to Prevent Risky Sex Behaviors Among Middle School–Age Latinas

“…Many Latina youth lack sexual health information because their culture may not encourage communication about sex between parents and children. This lack of communication may be attributed to individual factors related to the parent including personal language barriers, discomfort, and naiveté to the sexual topic (CDC, 2015; Larson, Sandelowski, & McQuiston, 2012). In addition, Latina youth may not have access to consistent health care, and therefore, may not receive adequate information about sexual risk from a health care provider (HCP).…”