Predictors of sexual and reproductive self-care among Iranian adolescent females

Alimoradi, Z, Partash, N, Griffiths, MD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-6524, Hardani Naimzadeh, M and Abdi, F, 2023. Predictors of sexual and reproductive self-care among Iranian adolescent females. Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences, 10 (3): e140039. ISSN 2345-5756

Preview

Text 1811798_Griffiths.pdf - Published version Download (138kB) | Preview

Abstract

Background: Self-care can include the activities that individuals perform in accordance with their needs to maintain and promote their health. Puberty is the most important change that comes with adolescence, which necessitates adolescents to become aware of their sexual and reproductive health.

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to investigate the predictors of adolescent females’ sexual and reproductive self-care status.

Methods: This cross-sectional study using random multistage sampling was conducted on adolescent females aged 14 - 19 years in the secondary schools of Karaj, Iran, in 2022. A total of 555 female students voluntarily completed the survey. The survey included the Female Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Self-care Scale (FASRSCS). Pearson’s correlation coefficient and univariable and multivariable linear regression were applied.

Results: The mean score of the FASRSCS was 65.42 out of 100 (standard deviation (SD) = 10.27). The highest mean score was acquired on the Perception of Female Adolescents of Premarital Sexual Relationships subscale (85.98 (SD = 14.28)), and the lowest mean score was acquired on the Reproductive and Sexual Health Knowledge subscale (36.97 (SD = 23.58)). The total score on the FASRSCS had the strongest association with the Adolescents and Family Interaction subscale (r = 0.71, P < 0.001), and the weakest association was with the Reproductive and Sexual Health Knowledge subscale (r = 0.38, P < 0.001). Multivariable linear regression analysis showed that having very strong religious beliefs (β = 0.23, P < 0.001), receiving information regarding puberty and menstrual health from peers (β = -0.20, P < 0.001), and cold parent-child relationship (β = -0.19, P < 0.001) were independent significant predictors of good sexual and reproductive self-care among adolescent females.

Conclusions: Given the importance of religious beliefs, parent-adolescent relationships, and the sources through which adolescents receive information regarding their sexual and reproductive health self-care, it is necessary to appropriate design interventions, including the aforementioned factors, in order to optimize and promote good sexual and reproductive health among female Iranian adolescents.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Sciences
Creators:	Alimoradi, Z., Partash, N., Griffiths, M.D., Hardani Naimzadeh, M. and Abdi, F.
Publisher:	Briefland
Date:	September 2023
Volume:	10
Number:	3
ISSN:	2345-5756
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.5812/jnms-140039 DOI 1811798 Other
Rights:	Copyright © 2023, Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Social Sciences
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	05 Oct 2023 08:39
Last Modified:	05 Oct 2023 08:39
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/49854

Actions (login required)

Edit View

Statistics

Views

Downloads