YOUTHS RESIDING
AT DETENTION CENTERS
AND SEX EDUCATION
:
Member Checking of a Sex Education Curriculum
Lindroth, M, MN, Faculty of Health and Society, Malmö University, Sweden. (E-mail: malin.lindroth@mah.se)
Funding source: The National Board of Institutional Care (SiS)
BACKGROUND
The sexual health among youth who are detained due to criminality, substance abuse or antisocial behaviour, is infe-rior compared to the sexual health among their non-detained same aged peers. A dialogical and norm critical sex edu-cation curriculum, located within a harm reduction para-digm acknowledging the rationality behind sexual risk-taking, tailored at youth in detention, has been developed. Prior to implementing the curriculum it was considered essential to let detained adolescents refl ect upon the proposed content, and on the educational style.
PURPOSE
To describe how Swedish adolescents in detainment refl ect upon the contents and educational style of a sex education curriculum presented to them.
METHODS AND PARTICIPANTS
A member checking in 4 focus group interviews (7 girls, 7 boys aged 14–19) was conducted, subsequently analyzed using qualitative content analysis.
RESULTATS
Three categories – appreciation, facilitation and adjustment – emerged, with the overarching theme of necessities con-necting them. Aside from having appreciated the 10-session sex education curriculum, the youths also regarded the dia-logical and norm-critical educational style as facilitating in terms of communicating the salient points of the curriculum. Furthermore, refl ections among the adolescents regarding previous sexual experiences and present situation are made. These will serve as important adjustments in the forthcoming implementation process.
IMPLICATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH
Member checking in focus groups provided an opportunity for the adolescents to infl uence the curriculum and to discuss and pose questions in an area important to them. In addition necessary knowledge regarding sex education within this population was gained. Next, the curriculum will be imple-mented and self-rated sexual health, pre and post education, evaluated. This is of outmost importance in gathering further knowledge of —and promoting— sexual health among these marginalized youth.
