Abstract
Sex knowledge, attitudes, and experience of 83 Chinese undergraduate medical students were assessed in their responses to the Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test. They were found to be relatively less knowledgeable especially in areas of social and cultural data-based knowledge and were less liberal especially in attitudes toward heterosexual relations and abortion. While increased knowledge tended to be associated with the repudiation of sexual myths, a general conservative outlook as assessed by the Wilson-Patterson Conservatism Scale was found to have the greatest influence on attitudes toward heterosexual relations, autoeroticism, and abortion. In contrast to the sexual practice of young Chinese of similar age based on another survey, the present sample of medical students was relatively heterosexually inexperienced. Implications for medical education with value reorientation are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alzate, H. (1978). Sexual behavior of Colombian female university students.Arch. Sex. Behav. 7: 43–54.
Asayama, S. (1976). Sexual behavior in Japanese students: Comparisons for 1974, 1960 and 1952.Arch. Sex. Behav. 5: 371–390.
Barrett, F. M. (1980). Sexual experience, birth control usage, and sex education of unmarried Canadian university students: Chages between 1968 and 1978.Arch. Sex. Behav. 9: 367–390.
Birnbaum, I. (1981).An Introduction to Causal Analysis in Sociology MacMillan, London, England.
Burnap, D. W., and Golden, J. S. (1967). Sexual problems in medical practice.J. Med. Educ. 42: 673–680.
Chan, D. W. (1986). Sex misinformation and misconceptions among Chinese medical students in Hong Kong.Med. Educ. 20: 390–398.
Cheung, F. M., Lau, B. W. K. and Waldman, E. (1980–1981). Somatization among Chinese depressives in general practice.Int. J. Psychiat. Med. 10: 361–373.
Elbert, R. K., and Lief, H. (1975). Why sex education for medical students? In Green, R. (ed).,Human Sexuality: A Health Practitioner's Text Williams and Wilkins, Boston.
Elstein, M., Dennis, K. J., and Buckingham, M. S. (1977a). Sexual knowledge and attitudes of Southampton medical students.Lancet 2: 495–496.
Elstein, M., Gordon, A. D. G., and Buckingham, M.S. (1977b). Sexual knowkedge and attitudes of general practitioners in Wessex, England.Br. Med. J. 1: 369–371.
Family Planning Association of Hong Kong. (1987).The Adolescent Sexuality Study 1986. Household Survey: Summary Findings Family Planning Association, Hong Kong.
Finger, F. W. (1975). Changes in sex practices and beliefs of male college students: Over 30 years.J. Sex Res. 11: 304–317.
Glenn, N. D., and Weaver, C. N. (1979). Attitudes toward premarital, extramarital and homosexual relations in the U.S. in the 1970's.J. Sex Res. 15: 108–118.
Herold, E. S., and Thomas, R. E. (1978): Sexual and contraceptive attidues and behavior of highe school and college females.Can. J. Public Health 69: 311–314.
Johnston, J. (1972).Econometric Methods 2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, New York
Kleinman, A. M. (1977). Depression, somatization and the “new cross-cultural psychiatry.”Soc. Sci. Med. 11: 3–10.
Kwong, B., and Wong, S. W. (1981). Physical presentations of psychological problems among Hong Kong Chinese: Cultural implications.J. Hong Kong Psychiat. Assoc. 1: 33–39.
Lieh-Mak, and Ng, M. L. (1981). Ejaculatory incompetence in Chinese men.Am. J. Psychiat. 138: 685–686.
Lief, H., and Reed, D. M. (1972).Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test (SKAT) Center for the Study of Sex Education in Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia.
Manos, N. (1983). Sexual life, problems, and attitudes of the prospective Greek physician.Arch. Sex. Behav. 12: 435–443.
McConaghy, N., Armstrong, M. S., Bervell, P. C., and Buhrich, N. (1979). The incidence of bisexual feelings and opposite sex behavior in medical students.J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 167: 685–688.
Medical Tribune. (1982). Medical students to sex educators: “I don't want my values changed.”Sex. Med. Today 6: 22–25.
Miller, W. R., and Lief, H. I. (1976). Masturbatory attitudes, knowledge and experience: Data from the sex knowledge and attitude test (SKAT).Arch. Sex. Behav. 5: 447–467.
Miller, W. R., and Lief, H. I. (1979). The Sex Knowledge and Attitude Test (SKAT).J. Sex Marital Ther. 5: 282–287.
Murstein, B. I., and Caravatt, H. C. (1979). Sexual behavior and correlates among college students.Adolescence 14: 625–639.
Preliminary Technical Manual, SKAT (2nd ed. 1972). Center for the Study of Sex Education of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia.
Schnarch, D. M., and Jones, K. (1981). Efficacy of sex education courses in medical school.J. Sex Marital Ther. 7: 307–317.
Story, M. D., (1982). A comparison of university student experience with various sexual outlets in 1974 and 1980.Adolescence 17: 737–747.
Tang, G. W. K., and Whyte, P. M. (1985). Teaching human sexuality to Chinese medical students: Curriculum and difficulties.J. Psychosomat. Obstet. Gynaecol. 4: 129–135.
Tseng, W. S., and Hsu, J. (1970). Chinese culture, personality formation and mental illness.Int. J. Soc. Psychiat. 16: 5–14.
Udry, J. R., Bauman, K. E., and Morris, N. M. (1975). Changes in premarital coital experience of recent decade of birth cohorts of urban American women.J. Marr. Fam. 37: 783–787.
Wilson, G. D., and Patterson, J. R. (1968). A new measure of conservatism.Br. J. Soc. Clin. Psychol. 7: 264–269.
Woods, S. M., and Natterson, J. (1967). Sexual attitudes of medical students: Some implications for medical education.Am. J. Psychiat. 124: 323–332.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This study was supported by a research grant from the Chou's foundation.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chan, D.W. Sex knowledge, attitudes, and experience of Chinese medical students in Hong Kong. Arch Sex Behav 19, 73–93 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541827
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541827