Gender norms and sexual consent in dating relationships: a qualitative study of university students in Vietnam

Lewis, Patricia; Bergenfeld, Irina; Trang, Quach Thu; Minh, T.; Sales, jessica; Yount, Kathryn M.

doi:10.1080/13691058.2020.1846078

Cited by 21 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The adapted GlobalConsent program took into account qualitative findings [ 38 , 40 ] and feedback from focus group discussions with cismale students and university stakeholders on the RealConsent program and the adapted GlobalConsent storyboards before production ( Multimedia Appendices 2 and 3 ). In total, 7 major adaptations have been observed.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts of GlobalConsent, a Web-Based Social Norms Edutainment Program, on Sexually Violent Behavior and Bystander Behavior Among University Men in Vietnam: Randomized Controlled Trial

Yount¹,

Cheong²,

Bergenfeld³

et al. 2023

JMIR Public Health Surveill

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Background Sexual violence against women is prevalent worldwide. Prevention programs that treat men as allies and integrate a bystander framework are emerging in lower income settings, but evidence of their effectiveness is conflicting. Objective This study aimed to test the impact of GlobalConsent on sexually violent behavior and prosocial bystander behavior among university men in Vietnam. Methods We used a double-blind, parallel intervention versus control group design with 1:1 randomization at 2 universities. A total of 793 consenting heterosexual or bisexual men aged 18-24 years who matriculated in September 2019 were enrolled and assigned randomly to GlobalConsent or an attention-control adolescent health education (AHEAD) program. GlobalConsent is an adapted, theory-based, 6-module web-based intervention with diverse behavior change techniques and a locally produced serial drama. AHEAD is a customized, 6-module attention-control program on adolescent health. Both the programs were delivered to computers and smartphones over 12 weeks. Self-reported sexually violent behaviors toward women in the prior 6 months and prosocial bystander behaviors in the prior year were measured at 0, 6, and 12 months. Results More than 92.7% (735/793) of men in both study arms completed at least 1 program module, and >90.2% (715/793) of men completed all 6 modules. At baseline, a notable percentage of men reported any sexually violent behavior (GlobalConsent: 123/396, 31.1%; AHEAD: 103/397, 25.9%) in the prior 6 months. Among men receiving GlobalConsent, the odds of reporting a high level (at least 2 acts) of sexually violent behavior at the endline were 1.3 times the odds at baseline. Among men receiving AHEAD, the corresponding odds ratio was higher at 2.7. The odds of reporting any bystander behavior at endline were 0.7 times the odds at baseline for GlobalConsent, and the corresponding odds ratio for AHEAD was lower at 0.5. Conclusions Compared with a health attention-control condition, GlobalConsent has sustained favorable impacts on sexually violent behavior and prosocial bystander behavior among matriculating university men in Vietnam, who would otherwise face increasing risks of sexually violent behavior. GlobalConsent shows promise for national scale-up and regional adaptations. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04147455; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04147455 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.1186/s12889-020-09454-2

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Step 4, pilot , entailed piloting the adapted intervention and developing a plan for implementation. We conducted qualitative research to implement steps 1 to 4 [ 37 ], and those findings are presented elsewhere [ 38 - 40 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of GlobalConsent, a Web-Based Social Norms Edutainment Program, on Sexually Violent Behavior and Bystander Behavior Among University Men in Vietnam: Randomized Controlled Trial

Yount¹,

Cheong²,

Bergenfeld³

et al. 2023

JMIR Public Health Surveill

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…To mitigate this possibility, the research team employed highly skilled researchers with experience building rapport and conducting sensitive interviews with adolescent populations. While this analysis focused more narrowly on norms in dating relationships, there is evidence that negotiation around consent in casual heterosexual encounters among university students differs in important ways (Lewis et al, 2021). Finally, as is typical of qualitative research, we used a relatively small sample, which was not intended to be representative of college students in Vietnam as a whole.…”

Section: Limitations and Strengths Of The Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating Changing Norms Around Sex in Dating Relationships: A Qualitative Study of Young People in Vietnam

Bergenfeld

Tamler

Sales

et al. 2021

Sexuality & Culture

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Social and economic changes in Vietnam since the economic restructuring of the 1980s have caused a shift in norms about premarital sex. While expectations of female chastity remain, sex before marriage is becoming more common among young people. As the formative phase of a parent randomized controlled trial, the present study examined the normative context of sex in dating relationships from the perspectives of young women and men in Vietnam. Men (n = 12) and women (n = 9) studying at two universities in Hanoi participated in semi-structured interviews that explored perspectives on sexual relationships and sexual coercion among their peers. Thematic analysis synthesized participant narratives into broader themes. Our findings confirmed that, as social norms evolve in Vietnam, young women must navigate shifting, and often contradictory, expectations about sex and dating relationships. Women and men expressed the belief that competing sexual expectations often can limit young women’s sexual agency and contribute to the normalization of sexual coercion in dating relationships. However, some women were embracing greater sexual freedom and reframing norms in ways that reflected their sexual agency. Efforts are needed to address these conflicting expectations, to deepen young men’s understanding of this conflict, and to prevent sexual coercion in young adulthood.

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“…At an early age, young people adopt and act on expected societal roles and norms about sexuality and relationships (Vu et al, 2017 ). Traditional gender roles pose restricted sexuality in most females as they are commonly perceived as subordinate to males, nurtured to be obedient and take a passive submissive role in any sexual relationship whereas, males are fostered to be masculine in gender, demonstrating autonomous, brave assertive and dominating characteristics (Lawoyin and Kanthula, 2010 ; Macia et al, 2011 ; Muralidharan et al, 2015 ; Ninsiima et al, 2018 ; Lewis et al, 2021 ; Zimmerman et al, 2021 ). Some studies have shown that subscribing to these conventional gender norms, and beliefs, adolescents experience difficulty engaging in successful and satisfying relationships which could further predispose them to indulge in some risky sexual behaviors (Capurchande et al, 2016 ; Casique, 2019 ; Lewis et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender norms and ideologies about adolescent sexuality: A mixed-method study of adolescents in communities, south-eastern, Nigeria

et al. 2022

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BackgroundSexual and reproductive health choices and behaviors of adolescents are shaped by gender norms and ideologies which are grounded in cultural beliefs. This study examined the perspectives of adolescents about the influence of gender norms and ideologies on sexuality.MethodsA cross-sectional study was undertaken in three urban and three rural communities in south-eastern Nigeria using quantitative and qualitative research methods. A modified cluster sampling procedure was used to select respondents. Data were collected from 1,057 adolescents and twelve focus group discussions with unmarried adolescents aged 13 to 18 years. For the quantitative data, univariate, bivariate and probit regression analyses were performed using Stata while the thematic framework approach was used to analyze qualitative data.ResultsThe dominant beliefs among adolescents are that: it is wrong for unmarried adolescents to have sex (86.4%); unmarried adolescents should abstain from sex (89.3%); consent should be obtained before sexual intercourse (89.1%); it is a girl's responsibility to ensure she does not get pregnant (66.5%), and sex should be initiated by boys (69.6%). Gender (boy or girl) was a predictor of belief in premarital abstinence (t-value = −3.88), belief that premarital sexual intercourse is acceptable provided contraceptive is used (t-value = 3.49, CI 1.14–0.49), belief that premarital sexual intercourse is wrong (t-value = −2.24) and, belief that sex should be initiated by boys only (t-value = −4.37). Adolescent boys were less likely to believe in pre-marital abstinence and less likely to believe that pre-marital sex among adolescents is wrong compared to girls. They were also more likely to believe adolescents can have sex provided contraceptive is used compared to girls. Qualitative findings revealed adolescents' beliefs that girls feel shy initiating sex and that boys experience more urge for sex hence, boys were perceived to be responsible for initiating sex. Both boys and girls experience pressure to have sex however, boys were described to experience more pressure from peers to have sex. Peer-to-peer communication, quest for material possessions and low socioeconomic conditions contribute to peer pressure to engage in sex.ConclusionAdolescents' beliefs about sexuality underline the need to contextualize interventions to address these norms and ideologies.

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Gender norms and sexual consent in dating relationships: a qualitative study of university students in Vietnam

Cited by 21 publications

References 34 publications

Impacts of GlobalConsent, a Web-Based Social Norms Edutainment Program, on Sexually Violent Behavior and Bystander Behavior Among University Men in Vietnam: Randomized Controlled Trial

Impacts of GlobalConsent, a Web-Based Social Norms Edutainment Program, on Sexually Violent Behavior and Bystander Behavior Among University Men in Vietnam: Randomized Controlled Trial

Navigating Changing Norms Around Sex in Dating Relationships: A Qualitative Study of Young People in Vietnam

Gender norms and ideologies about adolescent sexuality: A mixed-method study of adolescents in communities, south-eastern, Nigeria

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