The relationship between sexual health literacy and sexual health attitudes in young adults

Aim: This paper investigated the relationship between young adults’ sexual health literacy and attitudes toward sexual health. Materials and Methods: This study adopted a descriptive and correlational research design. The sample comprised 281 young adults. Date were collected online using a personal information form, the Sexual Health Literacy Scale (SHLS), and the Sexual Health Attitude Scale (SHAS). The data were analyzed using the independent-samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Welch ANOVA test, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and simple linear regression analysis. Results: Participants had mean SHLS and SHAS scores of 59.60±10.86 and 149.68±12.43, respectively. Female participants had higher mean SHLS and SHAS scores than their male counterparts (p<0.01). Participants who had received sexual health education had higher mean SHLS and SHAS scores than those who had not (p<0.01). Participants with master’s or higher degrees had a higher mean SHLS score than others (p<0.01). Participants who learned about sexual health from doctors/specialists, nurses/midwives, books, and personal experiences had a higher mean SHLS score than who did not (p<0.01). Participants who learned about sexual health from friends/acquaintances, siblings, and personal experiences had a higher mean SHAS score than others (p<0.01). There was a positive correlation between SHLS total and “sexual knowledge” and “sexual attitude” subscale scores and SHAS total and subscale scores (except for the subscale “gender roles”) (p<0.05). The SHAS score explained 19% of the SHLS score (β= 0.433, p<0.001). Conclusion: Sexual health attitude, higher education, being a woman, and having received sexual health education are important determinants of sexual health literacy. Young adults with reliable sources of information on sexual health have high levels of sexual health literacy. Therefore, nurses should understand the factors influencing sexual health literacy before offering sexual health counseling and designing educational programs.