School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia.
Maternal and Child Nursing Department, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
J Adolesc. 2022 Jan;94(1):34-44. doi: 10.1002/jad.12003. Epub 2022 Jan 26.
This study aims to describe the sexual behaviors of youth living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Malawi. As a high-risk population, understanding the contextual factors that shape their sexual behaviors is of particular interest when designing strategies to reduce HIV transmission.
Semi-structured qualitative interviews were used to collect information about sexual behaviors from 22 youth (12 females and 10 males) living with HIV aged from 15 to 24 years. All participants were recruited from a specialized HIV clinic in Malawi. Thematic analysis was applied to identify current themes.
The majority of participants were sexually active. Engaging in sexual behaviors was largely related to social processes identified in three main themes: (1) Risk-taking in pursuit of confidence and maturity; (2) A lack of voice in decision making concerning practising safe sex; (3) Perceived barriers to safe sex practice such as poverty, dropping out of school, and personal perspectives about transmitting HIV to others.
Our results suggest that prevention strategies targeting youth social and economic vulnerabilities to social influences are needed to enhance their personal and social skills. We suggest nurturing cultural and religious ceremonies and involving elders to equip youth with skills and knowledge for the prevention of HIV transmission.
本研究旨在描述马拉维感染人类免疫缺陷病毒 (HIV) 的青年的性行为。作为一个高危人群，在设计减少 HIV 传播的策略时，了解影响他们性行为的背景因素尤为重要。
采用半结构式定性访谈，从 15 至 24 岁的 22 名感染 HIV 的青年（12 名女性和 10 名男性）中收集性行为信息。所有参与者均来自马拉维的一家专门的 HIV 诊所。应用主题分析来确定当前的主题。
大多数参与者都有性行为。参与性行为主要与以下三个主要主题所确定的社会过程有关：（1）为追求自信和成熟而冒险；（2）在决定安全性行为方面缺乏发言权；（3）对安全套使用的障碍，如贫困、辍学和个人对向他人传播 HIV 的看法。
我们的结果表明，需要针对青年面临的社会经济脆弱性和社会影响制定预防策略，以增强他们的个人和社交技能。我们建议培养文化和宗教仪式，并让长者参与进来，为青年提供预防 HIV 传播的技能和知识。
