Attitude toward contraception and abortion among Curaçao women. Ineffective contraception due to limited sexual education?

Abstract

BackgroundIn Curaçao is a high incidence of unintended pregnancies and induced abortions. Most of the induced abortions in Curaçao are on request of the woman and performed by general practitioners. In Curaçao, induced abortion is strictly prohibited, but since 1999 there has been a policy of connivance. We present data on the relevance of economic and socio-cultural factors for the high abortion-rates and the ineffective use of contraception.MethodsStructured interviews to investigate knowledge and attitudes toward sexuality, contraception and abortion and reasons for ineffective use of contraceptives among women, visiting general practitioners.ResultsOf 158 women, 146 (92%) participated and 82% reported that their education on sexuality and about contraception was of good quality. However 'knowledge of reliable contraceptive methods' appeared to be - in almost 50% of the cases - false information, misjudgements or erroneous views on the chance of getting pregnant using coitus interruptus and about the reliability and health effects of oral contraceptive pills. Almost half of the interviewed women had incorrect or no knowledge about reliability of condom use and IUD. 42% of the respondents risked by their behavior an unplanned pregnancy. Most respondents considered abortion as an emergency procedure, not as contraception. Almost two third experienced emotional, physical or social problems after the abortion.ConclusionsRespondents had a negative attitude toward reliable contraceptives due to socio-cultural determined ideas about health consequences and limited sexual education. Main economic factors were costs of contraceptive methods, because most health insurances in Curaçao do not cover contraceptives. To improve the effective use of reliable contraceptives, more adequate information should be given, targeting the wrong beliefs and false information. The government should encourage health insurance companies to reimburse contraceptives. Furthermore, improvement of counseling during the abortion procedure is important.

On Sin and Sacrifice: How Intrinsic Religiosity and Sexual-Guilt Create Support for Martyrdom

“…The present research supports the notion that sexual sin is related to greater self-sacrifice. In Study 1, we demonstrated that the underlying mechanism of this effect is sexual guilt, which confirms insights from previous research on an emotion that suggests that guilt is associated with reparative behavior (e.g., Tangney et al, 1992). In Study 2, we demonstrated that when recalling a sinful experience, people with intrinsic (as opposed to extrinsic) religious motivation adopted a more vengeful and ruthless cognitive representation of God.…”

“…Psychological research indicates that religious involvement is positively associated with the experience of guilt (Luyten, Corveleyn, & Fontaine, 1998;Nelsen & Kroliczak, 1984)-an emotion aroused by transgressing religious moral values and norms (i.e., committing a sin). According to Tangney (1990;Tangney, Wagner, Gramzow, 1992), guilt prompts people to repair their wrongdoings and avoid harming others in the future. From that standpoint, guilt is adaptive as it promotes harmonious interpersonal relationships.…”

“…Distinguishing between guilt and shame, researchers have suggested that guilt-proneness is, in fact, unrelated to psychological maladjustment, whereas shame is detrimental to life satisfaction Tangney, 1991;Tangney et al, 1992). One hypothesis to explain this phenomenon is that, unlike shameprone individuals, guilt-prone individuals transcend their negative emotions by engaging in reparative behavior to redress their wrongdoings, which enables them to attain a sense of personal significance (Kruglanski et al, 2013(Kruglanski et al, , 2014.…”

Taking a shower with a raincoat on women’s views on male condom use

“…The possible association between contraceptives (including condom) and sexual function remains controversial in the literature. It has been reported that women may experience positive effects [10] , negative effects [11] , or no effects [12,13] on libido and other parameters of sexual function during contraceptive use.…”

Sexual Health Promotion and the Attention to the Social Determinants of Health in the Caribbean

“…In general, the attention to sexual health in the Caribbean, as in many other geographical contexts, has been limited and fragmented. The current scientific literature (last 3 years) covering sexual health areas in the Caribbean is mostly associated with reproductive health (Boersma et al 2012;Claeys 2010;Ferguson et al 2012;Pottinger et al 2012;Priestley 2012;van den Brink et al 2011), sexual violence (Cobbett and Warrington 2013;Lucea et al 2013;van Wijk and de Brujn 2012), sexuality education (Escobar-Chaves et al 2011;Hammer et al 2010), sexual behaviors (Anastario et al 2010;Ishida et al 2011;Ortiz et al 2011), sexually transmitted infections (excluding HIV) (Anderson et al 2013;Orisatoki and Oguntibeju 2010;Underwood et al 2010), and other sexual health concerns and problems, particularly cancers (Hennis et al 2013;Chekuri et al 2012;Méndez et al 2013;Underwood et al 2010). In these recent articles, some island nations or populations are more represented than others and we can speculate that this is associated with the involvement of the academic institutions in these countries as well as the resources allocated for research and dissemination of findings.…”