Exploring the measures to improve parent-teen sexual health communication in rural Mpumalanga province, South Africa

Nothando Mbalenhle Mngomezulu, Majapi Masala-Chokwe and Tshiamo Ramalepa
Additional contact information
Nothando Mbalenhle Mngomezulu: Adelaide Tambo School of Nursing Science, Tshwane University of Technology
Majapi Masala-Chokwe: Adelaide Tambo School of Nursing Science, Tshwane University of Technology
Tshiamo Ramalepa: Nursing Department, School of Healthcare Sciences,Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University

International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), 2025, vol. 14, issue 1, 120-128

Abstract: Teenagers' ignorance and reckless decision-making lead to poor consequences for their sexual and reproductive health. This could be exacerbated by teenagers looking for information from unreliable sources such as the internet and social media. This emphasizes the importance of communication between parents and teenagers about sexual health practices. There is an increasing number of sexually transmitted infections such as HIV among teenagers in South Africa. This study aimed to explore the measures to improve parent-teen sexual health communication in rural Mpumalanga province, South Africa. This qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research was conducted using individual in-depth interviews. Purposive sampling was used to select parents who had teenagers aged 12 to 19 years. Content analysis by Tesch’s approach was used for data analysis. The research process was guided by ethical principles which were applied throughout the study. The study findings revealed four themes such as setting up a forum for parent-teen engagement at health centres, open family communication, community sexual health support structures and sexual and reproductive health education. There is a need to improve sexual reproductive health communication between parents to teenagers. The study findings revealed suggestions to improve communication for the future and this will encourage parents to communicate with their teenagers in future such as concerning sexual health. Ensuring that teenagers have access to sexual and reproductive health services contributes to fulfilling their sexual and reproductive rights, providing them with more choices to best suit their needs and empowering them. Key Words:Parent-teen communication, sexual health, communication, Mpumalanga province, measures, teenagers

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://ssbfnet.com/ojs/index.php/ijrbs/article/view/3851/2670 (application/pdf)
https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v14i1.3851 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:rbs:ijbrss:v:14:y:2025:i:1:p:120-128

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478) is currently edited by Prof.Dr.Umit Hacioglu

More articles in International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478) from Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance Editorial Office,Baris Mah. Enver Adakan Cd. No: 5/8, Beylikduzu, Istanbul, Turkey. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Umit Hacioglu ().