Sexual Stigma, Sexual Behaviors, and Abstinence Among Vietnamese Adolescents: Implications for Risk and Protective Behaviors for HIV, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Unwanted Pregnancy

• Published in: The Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 48 - 59
• Main Authors: Kaljee, Linda M., Green, Mackenzie, Riel, Rosemary, Lerdboon, Porntip, Tho, Le Huu, Thoa, Le Thi Kim, Minh, Truong Tan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.03.2007; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins Ovid Technologies
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - ethnology; adolescents; Attitude to Health - ethnology; Female; Health Behavior - ethnology; Health education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; HIV; HIV Infections - ethnology; HIV Infections - prevention & control; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Male; Motivation; Nursing Methodology Research; Pregnancy; Pregnancy in Adolescence - ethnology; Pregnancy in Adolescence - prevention & control; Pregnancy, Unwanted - ethnology; Psychological Theory; Psychology, Adolescent; Qualitative Research; Reproductive health; Risk factors; Risk-Taking; Sexual Abstinence - ethnology; Sexual behavior; Sexual Behavior - ethnology; Sexually transmitted diseases; Sexually Transmitted Diseases - ethnology; Sexually Transmitted Diseases - prevention & control; Social Change; STD; Stereotyping; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenagers; Vietnam; Vietnam - epidemiology; Vietnam; Vietnam; HIV; adolescents; reproductive health
• ISSN: 1055-3290; 1552-6917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jana.2007.01.003

As rates of HIV increase in Vietnam, there is a need for data on social relations and sexual risk and protective behaviors among Vietnamese adolescents in a context of rapid social and economic changes. The authors report results from qualitative interviews with 159 Vietnamese adolescents living in Hanoi, Nha Trang City, and Ninh Hoa District and a survey of 886 adolescents in these same three sites. In the qualitative interviews, youths report a strong adherence to ideals and values regarding abstinence outside of marriage. Youths reported low rates of engagement in vaginal, anal, and/or oral sex with a significant difference in reported behaviors between males (29/469, 6.2%) and females (7/416, 1.7%; p = .000). A total of 15 of 32 (46.9%) sexually active youths reported rarely or never using condoms. Females had significantly higher scores for perceived sexual stigma than males (t = −10.22 [95% confidence interval (CI); −3.72 to −2.52; p = .000) whereas males scored significantly lower than females on a scale of perceived self-efficacy for abstinence (t = 5.31 [95% CI; .27 to .59]; p = .000). The stigmatization of sexual relations outside of marriage particularly for young women reinforces abstinence; however, these same values decrease adolescents’ ability to obtain accurate information about sexuality and HIV and sexually transmitted infections and engage in safer sex.