Papers by Lagot Sarah Odwong
Although mounting evidence in Western nations indicates that entertainment media influence young ... more Although mounting evidence in Western nations indicates that entertainment media influence young people’s sexual socialisation, virtually no research has addressed the topic in sub-Saharan Africa. The present study employed 14 focus groups of Ugandan high school students to identify media through which they were exposed to sexual content, how they interpreted and evaluated that content, and how they compared its influence with that of parents, schools, and religious institutions. Participants most often mentioned TV, followed by print media and Internet as sources of sexual material. Media were said to present discrepant messages regarding timing of sexual debut, with international programming urging early sexual debut and local programming described as urging young people to delay sex. Young people spoke of turning to ssengas and kojjas for sexual advice, and a number of boys suggested pornography could also be educational. Both local and international programming was interpreted as conveying views of men as sex driven and women as submissive in sex and relationships. Although participants expressed beliefs that sexual media content had a negative impact on young people, most nevertheless assessed these messages as more influential than other sources of sexual socialisation.
In sub-Saharan Africa, research about the role of media as an influence on adolescent sexual beha... more In sub-Saharan Africa, research about the role of media as an influence on adolescent sexual behavior has focused almost exclusively on the effects of health communication campaigns. Little research has explored the association between parents’ attempts to guide their children’s entertainment media intake, and adolescents’ sexual attitudes and behaviors. We surveyed 360 Ugandan high school students regarding their parents’ mediation of their media use; their attitudes about stereotypical gender roles in sexual relationships and casual sex; and their sexual behaviors. Co-using media with opposite sex friends was associated with higher endorsement of casual sex. Adolescents who reported their parents limited the amount of time they spent with media were less likely to report having ever had sex. However, both effects were smaller than the effects of relationship and demographic variables.
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Papers by Lagot Sarah Odwong