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.

摘要

性教育虽然在当今世界必不可少，但仍然是一个禁忌和激烈争论的话题。这与主题相关的不确定性以及家长、教师和社区成员的不同看法有关，而这些看法又受到盛行的宗教和文化信仰的影响。在这项横断面研究中，对 233 名青春期儿童的父母进行了评估，了解他们对孩子提供性教育的看法和做法。研究参与者的平均年龄为 44.3 ± 6.5 岁。在认为应该为孩子提供性教育的 202 名父母中，59.9%（N = 121）是自己提供的。在其余 81 位相信提供性教育的重要性但没有为孩子提供性教育的父母中，最常见的原因是孩子们会自己了解这些问题，而作为父母的他们不愿意与孩子讨论这些问题。这项研究表明，虽然大部分家长都意识到性教育的价值并支持将其纳入学术课程，但并非所有人都能有效地为孩子提供性教育。