Parent-adolescent communication about sex in rural India: U.S.-India collaboration to prevent adolescent HIV.
In this article, we examine parent-adolescent communication about sex among rural Indian youth and their parents. We conducted in-depth interviews (N = 40) with mothers, fathers, and adolescent boys and girls aged 14 to 18 years in a rural community in Maharashtra, India. In the context of key cultural factors, including gender-related norms, we explore issues of sexual health and critically assess widely held beliefs that Indian parents are unwilling or unable to discuss sex-related topics with their children. Our findings suggest that despite communication barriers, e.g., lack of knowledge and cultural proscriptions, Indian families are interested in and willing to communicate about sex-related topics. Future research should seek to determine the viability of family-based HIV prevention interventions for Indian adolescents.
New York University Silver School of SocialWork, New York, New York 10003, USA. vincent.ramos@nyu.edu
Vincent
V
Guilamo-Ramos
Asha Banu
AB
Soletti
Denise
D
Burnette
Shilpi
S
Sharma
Sarah
S
Leavitt
Katharine
K
McCarthy
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D003142:Communication; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations / Q000208:ethnology*; D012424:Rural Population; D012736:Sex Education; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology*