Mother-daugther communication about sexual and reproductive health issues in Singkawang, West Kalimantan, Indonesia

While parent-adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) communication is one potential source of information for adolescents, it appears to be inadequately practiced in Indonesia. Given that female adolescents in Indonesia are faced with increased sex-related risks, it is important to understand, from parents and adolescents’ perspectives, how parents communicate about SRH to their adolescents. This study was designed to investigate parents and their female adolescent children's patterns of SRH communication in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. A total of 15 adolescent girls (ages 13-15) and 14 mothers took part in four focus group discussions. Fifteen girls, aged 13-15 and 14 mothers aged 25-45 years participated in the study, sharing their reflections on their communication about sex and reproductive health issues. The analysis technique used was thematic analysis, which is performed by refining key themes that emerge from the data. Data were collected from the focus group discussions. The four themes identified in this study are: (1) Infrequent communication on sexuality between mothers and daughters, (2) Mothers’ tendencies to avoid to discussing SRH, or feeling ashamed and that it is culturally unacceptable to talk about sexual matters, (3) Body change during puberty is the major content of the mother-daughter communications, and (4) Both mothers and daughters need adequate information about SRH. The study reveals that communication regarding sexual and reproductive issues between parents and female adolescents is limited in Indonesia. The quality of communication on general topics between parents and their female adolescents is one of the important factors related to SRH communication between them. It is essential that Indonesian parents become better informed and skilled, so that they may be involved in the sexual and reproductive health education of their female adolescent children.