Adolescent ; Sexual health ; Health information seeking behavior ; Review
Abstract
Purpose: With the development of media, the ways adolescents can obtain information related to sexual health have diversified. Prior quantitative research on adolescents’ sexual health information seeking behaviors (HISB) has limitations in grasping the details, and sexual issues of adolescents have tended to be underreported in quantitative studies. It is necessary to explore sexual HISB through an integrative review of qualitative research. The aim of the study was to analyze the literature on sexual HISB among adolescents, focusing on qualitative research. Methods: An integrative review was undertaken to explore the studies conducted between 2009 and 2018 that addressed sexual HISB such as source preferences, perceived trustworthiness, and tendency according to age and gender among adolescents. Results: Seven studies met the selection criteria and were analyzed according different sexual HISB. It was identified that adolescents preferred trustworthy sources and had a pattern of reviewing and comparing the content among diverse sources to confirm the quality of the information. Female adolescents valued privacy and confidentiality, while male adolescents would like to earn information along with their peers and perceived it as an opportunity to exchange their experiences and thoughts. Late adolescents preferred to seek sexual health information from peers and on the internet such as websites and social platforms compared to early adolescents. Conclusion: This study is significant in that it provides evidence that can be applied when developing programs for promoting sexual health in adolescents. It is suggested that programs should focus on building trustworthiness and consider differences in age and gender to improve the use of sexual health information among adolescents.