Sexual health in transition: A social representations study with indigenous Mexican young women

J Health Psychol. 2017 Apr;22(5):661-673. doi: 10.1177/1359105315611954. Epub 2015 Nov 4.

Abstract

This study asked whether traceable knowledge transformations are occurring among indigenous Mexican women and, if so, the processes through which these shape their engagements with sexual health values and views. Thirty-nine interviews with rural and urban indigenous Mexican female adolescents were analysed through the lenses of social representations theory. Results evince that participants express transformations in terms of their social context, what constitutes a healthy youth and the uses of folk medicine, which are brought about by selecting, displacing and hybridising knowledge. Discussion centres on the consistency of themes across the sample and the variety of processes mapped.

Keywords: adolescence; cognitive polyphasia; indigenous; sexual health; social representations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Culture*
  • Female
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / ethnology*
  • Humans
  • Interviews as Topic
  • Mexico
  • Population Groups
  • Sexual Health / ethnology*
  • Sexual Health / statistics & numerical data*