An Exploratory Study of Parent-Adolescent Communication on Sexual Issues and HIV Prevention, at Otjomuise Clinic, Namibia

This research looks at parent-adolescent communication on sexual issues and HIV prevention at Otjomuise clinic in Windhoek-Namibia. The literature review showed that parent-adolescent communication about sexual issues and HIV prevention is rare especially in Africa because of lack of skills, information and cultural beliefs. The aim of the study is to investigate parental communication with their adolescents about sexual issues and HIV prevention. The Specific objectives were: To investigate whether parents communicated with their adolescents on sexual issues and HIV prevention. To explore type of information that was communicated. To determine challenges encountered in communicating with their adolescents. To seek suggestions from parents on how to improve communication between parents and adolescents regarding sexual issues and HIV prevention. Qualitative design was used. A total of 20 participants were purposively selected and semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection. Thematic analysis was utilized for data analysis. The research revealed that some parents do discuss sexual issues and HIV prevention with their adolescents but not a lot. The information that they discuss is mainly abstinence. The challenges that parents encounter during discussions are lack of skills and information to initiate the discussion and cultural beliefs that do not expect a parent to discuss sexual issues and HIV prevention with their own children. Parents suggested two things in order to improve parent-adolescent discussions on sexual issues and HIV prevention: (i) That institutions like schools should provide education on sexual issues and HIV prevention. (ii) That the government should train the parents on how to discuss sexual issues and HIV prevention with their children. The researcher recommends that parent-teachers associations be established so that parents can learn from teachers on how to discuss sexual issues and HIV prevention. Together teachers and parents can discuss on how to educate adolescents about abstinence plus any related issues.