Transcript Muy Caliente” Tapping Into the Dynamic Latino Culture For

Sexual Health of Latino Youth: Making
Sexuality Education Culturally Appropriate
Raffy R. Luquis, Ph.D., MCHES, FAAHE
Associate Professor of Health Education
School Of Behavioral Sciences and Education
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Objectives
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to…
 The participants will be able to identify at least three beliefs
and values that are important in Latino culture.
 The participants will be able to identify and compare at least
three myths and stereotypes of sexual expression among
Latinos.
 The participants will be able to identify at least three
strategies and resources for making sexuality education more
culturally appropriate for Latino youth and their families.
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Hispanics/Latinos in U.S.
 The largest and fastest-
Latino Population 2009
growing ethnic group in
the U.S.
Mexicans
 2010 – 50.5 million (16%)
 2050 – 132.8 million
(30%)
 Accounted for most of the
nation's growth—56%
from 2000 to 2010.
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3%
2%
2%
Puerto Ricans
Salvadorans
4%
Cubans
4%
Dominicans
Guatemalans
10%
Colombians
Hondurans
Ecuadorians
71%
Peruvians
Hispanics/Latinos Characteristics
 Median age: 25 yrs.
 Language other than English: 69%
 Family households: 83%
 Hispanic Homeownership: 46%
 Median annual personal income: $22,405
 Median household income: $41,041
 U.S. Citizenship: 85%
Pew Hispanic Center 2010
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Religion
 More than two-third (68%) of Latinos indentify themselves
as Roman Catholics; representing 1/3 of all Catholics in the
U.S.
 The majority (66%) of them prefer to attend Hispanic
congregations.
 15% are born-again or Evangelical Protestant.
 Many of Latinos joining Evangelical churches are Catholic
converts.
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Straddling Two Worlds
 20 million people have come to the U.S. Latin America since
1965.
 Largest immigration modern US history.
 About half (52%) ages 16-25 identify themselves first by
their families country of origin.
 20% more first describe themselves as “Hispanic” or “Latino.”
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Issues of Acculturation
 There are 4 generations of Latinos in the US:
 1st generation: arrived at 12 yrs of age or older
 1.5 generation: arrived very young (younger than 12)
 2nd generation: born in the US with foreign born parents
 3rd generation: born in US with US born parents
 Each generation has varying degrees of acculturation levels.
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Latino Cultural Values
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Gender Roles
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Males
Females
 Machismo
 Marianismo
 Patriarch
 Caregivers
 “Don Juan”
 “Virgin-Whore”
 Expected to desire sex and
 Expected to be proper on
explore their sexuality.
 “Piropos” – statements
with sexual connotations
expressed toward women
their sexual behaviors.
 “Coqueteria” – female
behaviors that reinforce
sexual attraction.
Sexual Orientation
 Those with traditional views are less accepting of
homosexuality.
 Same gender sexual activity is highly stigmatized, especially
among women.
 Males will engage in sex with other males
 Satisfied their sexual needs.
 Under the influence of alcohol.
 A study conducted by Yon-Leau & Muñoz-Laboy (2010)
showed that adolescents struggle over meanings and labels of
sexual orientation.
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Familialism
 Family is the most important institution in life, cultural and
social existence.
 Strong feeling of loyalty, reciprocity, and solidarity among its
members.
 Family members:
 “Parientes” - blood relatives
 “Parentesco”- bond within nuclear, and extended and non-
relative family.
 “Compadrazgo”- godparent, important role.
 Confianza - trust, respect, dignity & intimacy.
 The elders are highly respected.
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Marriage
 Highly valued among
Latinos.
 No difference between
legal marriage and
cohabitation.
 Liberal views of marriage
are associated to increase
premarital sexual activity
among adolescents.
 Ideal marriage age is 2327.
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Relationships
 Simpatía
 The need for behaviors that promotes smooth and pleasant
social relationships.
 Pronatalism
 Encouragement and support of childbearing
 Closeness
 Preference for shorter distance and feeling comfortable with
closeness in personal space
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Sexuality and Latinos
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Teen Birth Rates by Race/Ethnicity
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Latinos and Sexual Behaviors
Latinos
%
White
%
African
American
%
Had had sexual intercourse
Males
Females
49
53
45
42
40
44
65
72
58
First sexual intercourse before age
13 years
7
3
15
Sexual intercourse with 4 or more
partners
14
10
29
Sexually active
35
32
48
YRBSS, 2009
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Latinos and Sexual Behaviors
Latinos
%
White
%
African
American
%
Condom use
55
63
62
Contraceptive pill
11
27
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Alcohol/drug use before sex
19
23
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Dating violence
11
8
14
Forced to have sexual intercourse
8
6
10
YRBSS, 2009
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Sexual Initiation by Generation Status
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Pregnancy and Latinos
 1 in 2 Latina teens will
become pregnant by age
20.
 1 in 4 becomes a mother
before age 20.
 69% percent of Latina
teen moms drop out of
high school.
 Nearly 80% of teen moms
never marry the father.
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Pregnancy Intentions
 Reasons for getting
pregnant:
 Retaining partner or to
please partner
 Move out of the house
 Desire to give baby new
opportunities
 Grow up or mature
 Start a family
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Contraceptive Use by Generation
Status
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Contraceptive Use by Language
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Contraception Attitudes
 Lack of contraception use due to…
 Latino college students have more negative attitudes about
condoms than Whites and Blacks (Espinose-Hernandez,
Lefkowtiz, 2009).
 Reasons Latinas do not use birth control: weight gain, bleeding,
acne, and depression (Gilliam, Warden, Goldstein, Tapia, 2004),
fear parents find out.
 Belief condoms break, lack of feeling.
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Contraception and Acculturation
 Latino teens raised in English only households were more
likely to use contraception during their first intercourse
(Suellentrop & Sugrue, 2008).
 Spanish speaking Latinas experienced feeling of emotional
stress, anxiety, and nervousness due to contraceptive
hormonal methods (Guendelman, 2000).
 Foreign born and less acculturated, have misconceptions
about the effectiveness and safety of hormonal contraception
(Gilliam, 2004).
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Negotiating Contraception Use
 Partner’s machismo main reason Latinas do not contraception and
they on them to purchase contraception, such as the pill (Rivera,
Méndez, Gueye, & Bachmann, 2007).
 Foreign born Latinas…contraception was the woman’s
responsibility (Sangi-Haghpeykar, Ali, Posner, & Poindexter,
2006).
 Almost 40% of women with partners 4-6 years older used no
contraception. (CDC, 2004)
 Contraception use changes as a relationship develops. As it get
serious, condoms are dropped and the pill or nothing is used.
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Parents and Sexual Behavior
 Maternal communication is
associated with reduced
sexual risk taking behaviors
(Trejos-Castillo & Vazsonyi,
2009).
 High levels of
connectedness between
parents and family are
associated with delayed
sexual initiation (Kirby,
Lepore & Ryan, 2005).
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Parents and Sex Education
 Almost 50% Latino teens say that parents most influence
their decisions about sex.
 Latina adolescents want to have open communication about
sexuality with their mothers (Gilliam, 2007a).
 79% teens reported a conversation with parents about sex,
73% about relationships, 49% about contraception.
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Parents Unwilling Educators
 Some parents feel anxious, thinking that they will
provide too much information.
 Others are embarrassed by not having answers to
questions that children make.
 3 in 4 parents said that when it comes to sex, they often
don’t know what to say, how to say it, or when to start.
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Sex Education Left to Others
 Sex education is often the responsibility of the mother,
but…
 Latino parents may rely on the school, and in some cases
the media, to educate their children about sexuality.
 Mothers trust their social environment and culture to
relay traditional views of behavior and morality to their
daughters, but do not talk about it (Gilliam, 2007a;
Raffaelli, 2004).
 Sexuality education may come from extended family
members (aunts, uncles, grandparents).
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Parents and Gender Education
 Latino young adults learn traditional gender roles from their
parents (Raffaelli, 2004).
 Latino parents play a crucial role in the sexualization and
sexual decisions of their children (Raffaelli & Ontai, 2001;
Upchurch, Aneshensel, Mudgal, & Sucoff McNeely, 2001).
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Gender Based Sex Education
 Three-quarter of teens believe that parents send different
messages to their sons and daughters Girls are encouraged to
remain abstinent.
 Boys are encouraged to have sex, particularly by dad.
 Mothers are more accepting of boys having sex.
 Fathers are less accepting of their daughters having sex.
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Protective Factors
 Religion
 Religion…[is a] protective factor for early sexual initiation and
pregnancy prevention (Kirby, Lepore, & Ryan, 2005; Rasberry
& Goodson, 2009).
 Latinas who attend church … hold more traditional attitudes,
have fewer sexual partners, and are less likely to ever had sex
(Edwards, Fehring, Jarrett, & Haglund, 2008).
 School
 School connectedness and high academic aspirations were
protective factors against teen pregnancy, however, a large
proportion of Latino youth were disengaged from school.
(Uriburu & Kattar, 2006).
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Making Sexuality Education
Culturally Appropriate
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Effective Strategies for Latinos
 Must consider acculturation process.
 Traditional values vs. mainstream American values.
 Conflict between traditional expectations and the expectations
of their non-Latino’s peers.
 Must consider language of both teens and parents.
 Some Latino teens will feel more comfortable discussing
sensitive topics such as sexuality in Spanish.
 Recent immigrants would feel more comfortable discussing
sensitive topics in Spanish.
 Health/sexual educator must be bilingual and bicultural.
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Effective Strategies for Latinos
 Recognize and Respect Cultural Values
 Importance of the family – nuclear and extended.
 Importance of marriage & virginity.
 Role of religious beliefs.
 The Gender Role Dynamics
 Males and fatherhood.
 Females and sexual expression.
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Effective Strategies for Latinos
 Emphasis on Education and Support of High Aspirations.
 Latino teens connecting to school is an important step.
 Education now, family later.
 Parents and Family Involvement
 Educate Latino parents on sexual education.
 Educate Latino parents, both father and mother, on
communication skills.
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Questions?
Thank You!
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