Design and Psychometric Evaluation of Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Self-Care Questionnaire Based on Protection Motivation Theory

Marjan Havaei, Leili Salehi an

Abstract

Many teens around the world are sexually active and this ratio increases from mid to late adolescence (1) First sex increases the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, and can lead to unwanted pregnancies and preterm delivery (2). It is estimated that 21 million girls between the ages of 15 and 19 and 2 million girls under the age of 15 become pregnant each year in low- and middle-income countries (3,4). In addition to affecting adolescent health, early marriage or childbearing often prevents girls from continuing their education and perpetuates the cycle of poverty (5,6,7). Global statistics show that every 2 minutes, a teenager between the ages of 15 and 19 becomes infected with the HIV virus (8). In Iran, this number reaches 90,000 people, a significant part of whom are young people and adolescents (9). Statistics show that the prevalence of sexual relationship among adolescents in Iran is 19.1%. This information indicates that about one sixth of adolescents and young people in the country are at risk of reproductive and sexual health (10). Although the statistics obtained are much lower than the global statistics, it should be noted that due to the sensitivity of the issue, the statistics obtained are probably lower than the actual amount. One of the educational theories in health education that is used to understand and predict health intentions and behaviors is protection motivation theory (11,12). This theory is based on two presumptive cognitive pathways: threat pathway assessment and coping pathway. Threat pathway assessment consists of four structures in two groups, one group including perceived severity and perceived sensitivity and the other group perceived reward assessment which includes internal rewards and are external rewards. The balance between these two assessment pathways determines the intention or "protection motivation" to initiate, continue, or inhibit an adaptive response. This intention may lead to protective action (13-16).