Sex education and young people in group homes: balancing risks, rights and resilience in sexual health promotion

Abstract

This paper presents findings from focus group interviews conducted in Swedish government group homes for young people with a history of psychosocial problems, substance misuse and criminal behaviour. Participants were asked to reflect on a newly developed sex education curriculum located within a harm-reduction paradigm prior to its implementation. In addition to appreciating the proposed 10 sessions, young people positively evaluated the proposed dialogical and norm critical teaching style as likely to facilitate productive discussion about sexuality. Findings will contribute to future implementation of the sex education curriculum across a range of institutional settings. Results also highlight the democratic aspects of involving vulnerable young people in matters that directly concern them, and underline the importance of properly contextualised forms of sex education.

On the Outskirts of the Charmed Circle—Challenges and Limitations of Sexual Health Promotion to Young People in Secure State Care

“…However, guidelines within SiS on how to provide knowledge on gender, sexuality and relations are lacking. A research-based methods material for comprehensive sex education exists, which was developed in cooperation with young people in state care (Lindroth, 2014). In addition, a handbook for the staff on how to hold norm-critical group meetings exists, in which it is underlined that gender differences, norms, and their effect on sexuality should be broached (Swedish National Board of Institutional Care, 2016).…”

“…However, the empirical material of this paper comes from published research conducted thereafter. Over a period of six years, I have conducted four different studies with young people in secure state in Sweden: a survey on sexual health with 144 young persons aged 15 to 20, 36% girls and 64% boys (Lindroth, Tikkanen, & Löfgren-Mårtenson, 2013), an interview study on sexual health with 9 girls and 11 boys aged 15 to 20 , a focus-group study on a sex education curriculum where input from 7 girls and 7 boys aged 14 to 19 were sought (Lindroth, 2014), and a survey on sexual health with 117 young persons aged 16 to 29, 47% girls/ young women and 53% boys/young men (Lindroth & Schindele, forthcoming;Public Health Agency of Sweden, 2018). All studies had ethical approval from regional review boards and were conducted inside secure institutions run by the Swedish Board of Institutional Care (SiS).…”

Sexual health interventions for young people in state care: a systematic review

“…interventions that have their departing point in the wishes and needs of young people. Development of sex education curricula in cooperation with young people in state care, in institutional settings, is possible and has been made both in the US, and in Sweden [25,26]. Moreover, global policy documents on how to be youth-centred when implementing young people's sexual rights do exist [27], and should inform both current and future interventions and evaluations.…”

Primary School Teachers’ Perspective of Sexual Education in Spain. A Qualitative Study

“…In some countries and various states of the United States, SE is obligatory in public schools and is delivered by primary school teachers or nurses [ 28 , 29 ]. In Europe, Finland and Sweden, SE is part of the school curriculum, which has led to positive developments in preventing risk and promoting sexual health, although society and students alike have deemed it insufficient, inefficient and unadapted [ 10 , 30 ]. In the United Kingdom, Sexual Education in schools is not a homogenous issue; it varies from a lack of regulation in Scotland to being primarily focused on biological aspects (e.g., anatomy, infections) in England [ 31 ].…”