Pregnant women’s view on their relationship:A comparison with nonpregnant women

The positive effects of partner support on pregnancy outcomes and maternal (mental) health are well established in the literature. Less is known about pregnant women’s perceptions of their partner and relationship, and whether these differ from those of nonpregnant women. Therefore, in the current study, data were collected through an online questionnaire among pregnant (n = 66) and nonpregnant (n = 59) women with similar demographic profiles. The results show that pregnant women reported feeling significantly more happy with both their partner and their relationship than nonpregnant women. Importantly, we did not find any differences in self-esteem or mate value between groups. Although the present study is mainly exploratory, we suggest that pregnant women may show a positive bias in the way they view their partner and their relationship, which in turn may be beneficial to her own as well as her child’s mental and physical health.<br/

Gender differences in adolescent advertising response:The role of involvement and message claim

This study investigates whether gender differences in adolescents’ advertising judgments and purchase intentions are due to their level of involvement with the advertised product, and with the claim made in the ad, i.e. whether evaluative versus factual message claims are used. Male (n = 115) and female adolescents (n = 127) were randomly assigned to a mixed design. They read either factual or evaluative ads (between-subjects variable) about a product within and about a product outside their area of interests (within-subjects variable). Results show that when an ad contained a description of a high involvement product (i.e. the youth magazine), adolescent females were persuaded most by factual information, whereas when the ad contained a description of a low involvement product (the sports magazine), they were persuaded more by evaluative information. Adolescent males overall indicated a more positive attitude towards a high involvement product, but were equally persuaded by evaluative and factual information. We conclude that gendered advertising responses do exist, and that the level of involvement with the product advertised determines which type of message claim—factual versus evaluative—is most effective for each gender. Discussion focuses on theoretical and practical implications of these results

A night on the town:When the importance of mate acquistion overrides intrasexual competition

It is argued that, while men may be intrasexually more competitive than women, to attract potential mates, men will, more than women, associate with same-sex friends who are attractive to the opposite sex. Therefore, more than women, men will choose more physically attractive and dominant companions in a mating context than in a neutral context. In Study 1 among 262 participants a mating scenario (going to a party) and a neutral scenario (seeing a movie) were developed, and it was shown that the mating scenario did indeed induce more a mating context than the neutral scenario. In Study 2 among 167 participants the hypotheses were tested by examining the preferences for a companion in both scenarios. The findings from Study 2 supported the predictions. In response to the mating as compared to the neutral scenario, men, but not women, found the attractiveness of a companion more important, preferred a more socially dominant companion, and found the social dominance of a companion more important. Men as well as women preferred in general companions who were less attractive than themselves, but preferred a more attractive companion in a mating than in a neutral context. The effects for social dominance were in general more pronounced among individuals high in sociosexual orientation (SOI). To conclude especially mens’ attitude towards same sex others in a mating context may be driven by the desire to associate, rather than to compete, with same-sex others who are attractive to the opposite sex.</jats:p

Adolescents’ Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare‐Seeking Behaviour and Service Utilisation in Plateau State, Nigeria

The high rate of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) challenges among adolescents in Nigeria has been linked with the poor access to and utilisation of health facilities. This study explores the factors that influence the actual use and willingness to use SRH services among adolescents. Survey questionnaires were administered to 428 adolescents aged 18 to 19 years in six local government areas (LGAs) in Plateau State. The results showed that more than one‐third of the participating adolescents were currently sexually active, slightly more than three‐quarters (76.6%) had never visited health facilities for SRH issues, and more than half (56.0%) were not willing to visit a health facility if they ever had any SRH issues. The most frequent reason for the non‐use of health care facilities for SRH issues by adolescents was a perceived lack of privacy and confidentiality (66.1%), followed by the perceived negative attitude of health care providers (68.2%). However, being sexually active was the only independent covariate of seeking SRH care from health facility (AOR = 005; CI = 0.01–0.49; p = 0.011), while awareness of HIV was a significant covariate of willingness to seek SRH care in a health facility in the future (AOR = 3.17, 95% CI = 1.50–6.70; p = 0.002). We concluded that the utilisation of SRH services and willingness to do so in the future was fairly limited among adolescents in this study. Therefore, there is a need to address the challenges of privacy and confidentiality and commencement of the health promotion of SRH for adolescents ahead of sexual initiation to alleviate the SRH challenges adolescents encounter when sexually active

Exploring the Perceived Effectiveness of Applied Theater as a Maternal Health Promotion Tool in Rural Zambia

In the current study, we aimed (a) to extend the previous research conducted in Kalomo District on the psychosocial factors that influence women’s intention to utilize maternal health care services (MHS) and (b) to explore community members’ perceptions of the use of a theater-based health promotion program to positively influence these factors among pregnant women. Semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 44 respondents, and confirmed the importance of knowledge, perceived behavioral control, attitudes, social norms, and risk perception as influences on women’s health care utilization. The majority of respondents were positive about the use of theater interventions in improving maternal health care–seeking behavior. The behavior change methods proposed to incorporate in theater plays were seen as appropriate and useful to convey health-related information in theater plays, in particular if the main character was an identifiable role model. Discussion focuses on the unique contributions and possibilities of utilizing theater in (maternal) health promotion

Effect evaluation of a comprehensive sexuality education intervention based on socio-emotional learning among adolescents in Jakarta, Indonesia

IntroductionThe field of comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) has switched from a focus on adolescents’ health to a more holistic approach, embracing the concept of sexual development with the aim of improving adolescents’ sexual well-being. The growing interest in the link between CSE and socio-emotional learning (SEL) competencies led to the development of the Journey4Life (J4L), a comprehensive sexuality education curriculum based on socio-emotional learning. In the current research, we evaluate the effectiveness of this program on perceived behavioral control, gender equality attitudes, norms, and intentions related to sexual and reproductive health and rights.MethodsTo this end, we conducted a Cluster Randomized Trial among 14 senior secondary schools in Jakarta, Indonesia. A questionnaire was administered before and after implementation of the J4L program among 16–17 year old pupils; n = 906 completed baseline measurement, n = 771 completed endline measurement. With a final matched sample of N = 466 (65.5% girls) we conducted a mixed model repeated measures ANOVA.ResultsUnfortunately, only limited and inconsistent results were found. We found that at endline, girls had stronger positive gender equality attitudes than boys; that overall attitudes towards reporting sexual violence were stronger for girls than for boys. However, contrary to our expectations, respondents had more positive attitudes toward child marriage at baseline than at endline.DiscussionInconsistency and non-statistical significance of results limit our ability to draw firm conclusions about the effectiveness of the Journey4Life. We discuss how complex comprehensive sexuality education interventions could best be evaluated, since our study highlights the need for better conceptualization, operationalization and measurement of the interconnection between comprehensive sexuality education and socio-emotional learning

Perception and use of social media by Indonesian adolescents and parents: A qualitative study

Social media are popular among adolescents worldwide, including the global South. The way adolescents use social media is influenced by their own perception of social media but also by how their parents use and perceive social media. This study aims to understand how Indonesian young adolescents (12–15 years old) and parents of adolescents use and perceive social media. For this purpose, we conducted eight focus group discussions and eight semi-structured interviews with 30 Indonesian adolescents and 15 Indonesian parents. Thematic analysis of the qualitative data reveals that both adolescents and parents use social media for social, practical, and pleasure activities. Most adolescents mention that they consider themselves skilled in using social media, while parents consider themselves less skilled. Both adolescents and parents mention that social media offer benefits for adolescents, including emotional, social, and practical benefits. However, adolescents and parents also mention the risks of social media use for adolescents, including social, emotional, and informational risks, as well as the displacement of more meaningful activities. As such, both adolescents and parents do not perceive social media as inherently good or bad but rather as a novel medium that offers benefits for adolescents but also involves several risks to be considered by parents and other relevant stakeholders. This study adds to our understanding of social media use in the global South and offers a theoretical basis for future studies on the impact of adolescents’ social media usage on wellbeing in an Indonesian context. However, future research is necessary to depict possible differences in social media use between Indonesia and other countries in the global South