Exploring human papillomavirus vaccination decision making through mother and adolescent dyad interviews.

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of our research was to explore how parents and their adolescent children make decisions about the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, and to inform future interventions that aim to facilitate inclusive decision-making processes. METHOD: Purposive and snowball sampling strategies targeted parents and their adolescent children (ages = 11-13) in a large city in Australia. We conducted separate and joint semistructured interviews in 2013 with six mother-adolescent dyads (50% female adolescents and 50% male). Interviews were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. RESULTS: Factors that both facilitate and impede decision making emerged, including: background knowledge, values, historical experiences, parenting style, and opinion weights. DISCUSSION: New interventions, strategies, and tools that are informed by these decision-making factors can be used to aid productive, mutual decision making between parents and adolescents and support adolescent autonomy and self-sufficiency in health decision making. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Unlearning and relearning sexuality: a qualitative exploration of The Sex Wrap, a sex education podcast.

BACKGROUND: Traditional school-based sexuality education has a myriad of problems with its successful delivery, including access to comprehensive sexuality curricula, access to trained facilitators, and community and parental fears. As an alternative form of sexuality education, The Sex Wrap podcast is released in weekly episodes of about 20-45min, providing listeners with diverse, evidence-based sexual health information. METHODS: Participants in a larger mixed-methods study evaluating The Sex Wrap were invited to participate in qualitative in-depth interviews to explore their experiences with sexuality education, including The Sex Wrap , and how they relate to information received through the podcast. Seventeen interviews were conducted with listeners of The Sex Wrap , aged 20-25years old. RESULTS: One core category and three axial codes were identified in the interview data. The core category is: sexuality education is an ongoing process that includes learning and unlearning. The three temporally related axial codes are: (1) experiences with formal and informal sexuality education (mostly negative) drove participants to seek more information about sex, (2) participants use The Sex Wrap as a way of exploring and personalising information about sexuality, and (3) participants equipped with comprehensive sexuality education are empowered to educate their peers. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that podcast-based interventions, such as The Sex Wrap , can play a key role in young people's process of sexuality education and should be considered for incorporation into other forms of sex education.

Corrigendum to: Social media's role in support networks among LGBTQ adolescents: a qualitative study.

Background:Adolescents use social media more frequently than other age groups. Social media has been described as a safe environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer and/or questioning (LGBTQ) adolescents. As part of mixed-methods research investigating the association between social networks and sexual agency, we present qualitative findings on how LGBTQ adolescents connect online to form support networks.Methods:We recruited 30 adolescents aged 14-17years who identified as LGBTQ in terms of their gender or attraction in the longitudinal Social Networks and Agency Project. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online or face-to-face across Australia. Thematic analysis was used to explore perceptions and experiences of participants in relation to social media use and relationships.Results:Two overarching themes were identified: LGBTQ adolescents use social media for identity, relationships and wellbeing support. Social media is not always free of discrimination for LGBTQ adolescents. Many LGBTQ participants joined Facebook groups to connect with LGBTQ peers. Facebook was considered a vital support for those with mental health concerns including suicidal ideation. Participants gave and received support from group members, which was considered useful for those feeling isolated or victimised. LGBTQ adolescents formed friendships, romantic relationships and gained information on sex, relationships, and sexual health from these groups. Participants described negative experiences including discrimination within Facebook groups, mismanaged groups and exposure to anti-LGBTQ sentiments.Conclusion:Social media is an environment where LGBTQ adolescents can connect, educate and support each other, which may have beneficial effects for this marginalised group. There remain issues with social media including discrimination against and within LGBTQ communities.

Social media's role in support networks among LGBTQ adolescents: a qualitative study.

Background Adolescents use social media more frequently than other age groups. Social media has been described as a safe environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer and/or questioning (LGBTQ) adolescents. As part of mixed-methods research investigating the association between social networks and sexual agency, we present qualitative findings on how LGBTQ adolescents connect online to form support networks. Methods We recruited 30 adolescents aged 14-17years who identified as LGBTQ in terms of their gender or attraction in the longitudinal Social Networks and Agency Project. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online or face-to-face across Australia. Thematic analysis was used to explore perceptions and experiences of participants in relation to social media use and relationships. Results Two overarching themes were identified: LGBTQ adolescents use social media for identity, relationships and wellbeing support. Social media is not always free of discrimination for LGBTQ adolescents. Many LGBTQ participants joined Facebook groups to connect with LGBTQ peers. Facebook was considered a vital support for those with mental health concerns including suicidal ideation. Participants gave and received support from group members, which was considered useful for those feeling isolated or victimised. LGBTQ adolescents formed friendships, romantic relationships and gained information on sex, relationships, and sexual health from these groups. Participants described negative experiences including discrimination within Facebook groups, mismanaged groups and exposure to anti-LGBTQ sentiments. Conclusion Social media is an environment where LGBTQ adolescents can connect, educate and support each other, which may have beneficial effects for this marginalised group. There remain issues with social media including discrimination against and within LGBTQ communities.

What adolescents think of relationship portrayals on social media: a qualitative study.

Background Understanding the factors influencing adolescents' relationship views is important because early romantic relationships often act as precursors for relationships in adulthood. This study sought to examine the types of relationship-focused content adolescents witness on social media and how they perceive its effect on their romantic relationship beliefs. METHODS: Sixteen semistructured interviews were conducted with Australian adolescents aged 16-19 years who were purposively sampled from a larger longitudinal study. Interview transcripts were analysed qualitatively using constructivist grounded theory. RESULTS: Participants described the types of romantic relationship portrayals they saw on social media, including relationship-focused trends like 'Relationship Goals' and 'Insta-Couples'. Participants explained their ability to identify incomplete and unrealistic relationship portrayals, as well as the pressure to share their relationships online in the same incomplete fashion. Views regarding the influence of social media were varied, but most believed social media relationship portrayals had some level of influence on young people's relationship views; some participants believed this occurred regardless of awareness of the incompleteness of the online portrayal. CONCLUSIONS: Although participant interview data revealed the pervasiveness of social media relationship portrayals, it also revealed the sophisticated capabilities of adolescents in critiquing online media portrayals.

What predicts postpartum pertussis booster vaccination? A controlled intervention trial.

BACKGROUND: 'Cocooning' aims to protect susceptible infants from pertussis via caregiver vaccination. Control trials evaluating educational interventions to promote cocooning are lacking. We evaluated the role of message-framing vs. standard health information in promoting pertussis vaccination. METHODS: We recruited postpartum women from a maternity hospital in Sydney, Australia (November 2010-July 2012). Participants self-completed a pertussis knowledge and attitudes questionnaire. We then assigned pertussis-susceptible (no pertussis vaccine ≤10 years) participants to receive a gain-framed, loss-framed pamphlet or control (Government Pertussis factsheet) using weekly sequential block allocation. Next, participants were offered a pertussis vaccine (dTpa) and completed a post-questionnaire on discharge. RESULTS: A baseline questionnaire was completed for 96.4% (1433/1486) of postpartum women approached. Missing data was excluded (n=29). Next, participants (1404) were screened for vaccine status: 324 (23%) reported prior pertussis booster vaccine receipt, leaving 1080 participants requiring vaccination. Among susceptible mothers, 70% (754/1080) were vaccinated post-intervention. Rates were similar between 'gain', 'loss' or 'control' pamphlets (69.1% vs. 71.8% vs. 68.8%; p=0.62). Intention to be vaccinated (OR 2.46, p<0.001; 95% CI: 1.69-3.58), perceived vaccine benefits (OR: 1.61, p<0.001; 95% CI: 1.25-2.15) and having received a vaccine recommendation (OR 1.68; p=0.025; 95% CI: 1.07-2.65) were independent predictors of vaccine uptake. At discharge, overall pertussis vaccine coverage had increased from 23% to 77% among women screened (1078/1404). CONCLUSION: A cocooning strategy for pertussis vaccination can be highly effective when partially implemented within maternity hospitals, with information accompanied by a funded vaccine. Mothers were highly receptive to vaccination in the postnatal ward: facts about pertussis were as effective as message-framing in promoting a high uptake of 70%. Perceived vaccine benefits, intentions and vaccine recommendation were important predictors of uptake. Our intervention trial increased the existing pertussis vaccine coverage of 23-77%.

Educational interventions to increase HPV vaccination acceptance: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has been available for protection against HPV-associated cervical cancer and genital warts since 2006. Nonetheless, uptake has varied among countries and populations within countries. Studies have found that individuals' knowledge and attitudes toward the vaccine are associated with immunization uptake. The purpose of the current review is to summarize and evaluate the evidence for educational interventions to increase HPV vaccination acceptance. METHODS: We searched the databases of PubMed and Web of Science for English-language articles describing educational interventions designed to improve HPV vaccination uptake, intention or attitude. RESULTS: We identified 33 studies of HPV vaccination educational interventions: 7 tested the effectiveness of interventions with parents, 8 with adolescents or young adults, and 18 compared the effectiveness of different message frames in an educational intervention among adolescents, young adults or their parents. Most studies involved populations with higher educational attainment and most interventions required participants to be literate. The minority of studies used the outcome of HPV vaccine uptake. Well-designed studies adequately powered to detect change in vaccine uptake were rare and generally did not demonstrate effectiveness of the tested intervention. CONCLUSIONS: There is not strong evidence to recommend any specific educational intervention for wide-spread implementation. Future studies are required to determine the effectiveness of culturally-competent interventions reaching diverse populations.

"Nobody told me nothin": communication about menstruation among low-income African-American women.

The purpose of this study was to explore communication about menstruation among low-income African American women and the impact of this communication on their understanding of and attitudes toward the menstrual events that will occur throughout their lives. This is of particular importance since minority women disproportionately face greater menstrual problems than those experienced by majority women in the United States. A grounded theory design was used for this study. Seventeen African American women from a public housing project were interviewed. The core theme that emerged from the qualitative data was the avoidance or negative discussion of menstrual events throughout the women's lives. The women had few sources of and very limited menstrual learning from school, their mothers, and other women. This led to confusion and inaccurate beliefs about and negative attitudes toward menstruation, menopause, and menstrual-related health conditions. While these women desired to have better communication, their history of avoidance of and negative discussions surrounding menstruation will likely continue to make it difficult for them to have positive and informative discussions with others in the future unless some type of educational intervention occurs.