Review of qualitative studies related to safer sex among college students and adolescents

Directions for Research

Abstract

Objective: To review various published peer-reviewed literature conducted in the arena of qualitative studies concerned with HIV related sexual practice among adolescents and college students and discuss implications for research. Data source: An extensive search of five databases was completed. The inclusion criteria for all researches consisted of all qualitative peer-reviewed research articles pertaining to adolescents and college students published in the English language since 1981. The exclusion criteria were all peer-reviewed articles related to qualitative research published in languages other than English and articles related to populations other than adolescents and college students. Data synthesis: An instrument developed by the McMaster University Occupational Therapy Evidence-Based Practice Research Group called Guidelines for Critical Review Form was used to synthesize collected articles. Results: Important findings were: support of participants for sexuality education, attitudes towards safer sex, parents support for safer sex messages in schools, and sexual risk behaviors being due to gender power differentials. Conclusions: Qualitative research methodologies enable researchers to explore how and why persons think, feel and behave as they do in sexual behaviors.