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Embarrassment as a Key Emotion in Young People Talking about Sexual Health

Author

Listed:
  • Edwin van Teijlingen
  • Jennifer Reid
  • Janet Shucksmith
  • Fiona Harris
  • Kate Philip
  • Mari Imamura
  • Janet Tucker
  • Gillian Penney

Abstract

This paper highlights embarrassment as one of the often-ignored emotions of young people when it comes to discussing issues around sexual health. There have been many sexual health studies on knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of young people over the past two decades, but emotional aspects have been largely ignored, despite a growing literature in the sociology of emotion. A qualitative approach was adopted in the form of focus group discussions, which included questions on sex education, sexual health campaigns and formal and informal sources of sexual health information and advice. Focus groups were conducted in secondary schools in and around Edinburgh and Aberdeen as part of a four-year evaluation study of a Scottish Demonstration Project on young people's sexual health: ‘Healthy Respect’. We conclude that is it important for policy makers and sexual health promoters to understand young people's notions of embarrassment. Not only are there elements of sex education that (some) young people perceive as embarrassing, they also sense embarrassment in those people providing them with sex education. Young people reported that both professionals (e.g. teachers and doctors) and their parents could be embarrassed about raising the topic of sexual health. Moreover, as one of the goals of sex education is to ensure an open and non-embarrassing attitude towards sex and sexuality, there is still a major gap between the aspirations of health educators and policy makers and the ways that young people experience such education.

Suggested Citation

  • Edwin van Teijlingen & Jennifer Reid & Janet Shucksmith & Fiona Harris & Kate Philip & Mari Imamura & Janet Tucker & Gillian Penney, 2007. "Embarrassment as a Key Emotion in Young People Talking about Sexual Health," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 12(2), pages 1-16, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:12:y:2007:i:2:p:1-16
    DOI: 10.5153/sro.1535
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sutton, Stephen & Rutherford, Celia, 2005. "Sociodemographic and attitudinal correlates of cervical screening uptake in a national sample of women in Britain," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(11), pages 2460-2465, December.
    2. Hyde, Abbey & Howlett, Etaoine & Brady, Dympna & Drennan, Jonathan, 2005. "The focus group method: Insights from focus group interviews on sexual health with adolescents," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(12), pages 2588-2599, December.
    3. Shamser Sinha & Katherine Curtis & Amanda Jayakody & Russell Viner & Helen Roberts, 2006. "Family and Peer Networks in Intimate and Sexual Relationships Amongst Teenagers in a Multicultural Area of East London," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 11(1), pages 74-86, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Moira Carmody, 2013. "Young Men, Sexual Ethics and Sexual Negotiation," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 18(2), pages 90-102, May.

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