Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Sexual and Reproductive Health Education Needs, Gender Roles Attitudes and Acceptance of Couple Violence According to Engaged Men and Women

  • Brief Report
  • Published:
Community Mental Health Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This descriptive study was aimed to evaluate the attitudes of the engaged men and women who are of legal age to marry towards gender roles and acceptance of couple violence, and determine their sexual/reproductive health education needs. It was conducted in two marriage registry offices in Ankara, Turkey. The study sample consisted of 740 participants. Data were collected by using semi-structured form, Gender Roles Attitude Scale and Acceptance of Couple Violence Scale. It was found that the engaged couples had educational needs concerning sexual/reproductive health; socio-demographic characteristics such as gender, age, education, residence, and income level created significant differences in the attitudes related to accepting gender roles and violence; and having an egalitarian attitude towards gender roles decreased the rate of accepting violence between the couples. Results indicate that premarital counseling is a promising strategy to support engaged couples’ sexual/reproductive health needs, and increase their awareness about gender based couple violence in communities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Akın, A., & Özvarış, B. (2003). Adölesanların cinsel ve üreme sağlığını etkileyen faktörler projesi (Project: Factors that effects the sexual and reproductive health of adolescence). Retrieved May 11, 2016, from http://www.huksam.hacettepe.edu.tr/Turkce/SayfaDosya/adolesan.pdf.

  • APA Council of Representatives. (2011). Definition of terms: Sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation. Retrieved May 11, 2016, from https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/sexuality-definitions.pdf.

  • Apay, S. E., & Pasinlioğlu, T. (2008). Nişanlı çiftlerin evlendikten sonra kullanmayı düşündükleri aile planlaması yöntemleri (Family planning methods engaged-couples thought to use after marriage). Atatürk Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Yüksekokulu Dergisi, 11(4), 30–37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Araoye, M. O. (2003). Epidemiology of infertility: Social problems of the infertile couples. West African Journal of Medicine, 22(2), 190–196.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Azeem, T. S. A. A., Elsayed, E. T., Sherbiny N. A. E. K. E., & Gawad, A. L. E. (2011). Promotion of knowledge and attitude towards premarital care: An interventional study among medical student in Fayoum University. Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology, 3(3), 121–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bodenmann, G., Pihet, S., & Kayser, K. (2006). The relationship between dyadic coping and marital quality: A 2-year longitudinal study. Journal of Family Psychology, 20, 485 – 93.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • CATALYST Consortium/TAHSEEN Project. (2004). Reproductive health services for young, engaged and newly married couples. Funded by United States Agency for International Development. Retrieved May 11, 2016, from http://www2.pathfinder.org/site/DocServer?docID=2424.

  • Char, A., Saavala, M., & Kulmala, T. (2011). Assessing young unmarried men’s access toreproductive health information and services in rural India. BMC Public Health, 11, 476. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-11-476.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Coşkun, A., & Özdilek, R. (2012). Gender inequality: Reflections on the nurse’s role in women’s health. Hemşirelikte Eğitim ve Araştırma Dergisi, 9(3), 30–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dardis, C. M., Dixon, K. J., Edwards, K. M., & Turchik, J. A. (2014). An examination of the factors related to dating violence perpetration among young men and women and associated theoretical explanations: A review of the literature. Trauma, Violence and Abuse, 1, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838013517559.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Meyer, S., Jaruseviciene, L., Zaborskis, A., Decat, P., Vega, B., Cordova, K., et al. (2014). A cross-sectional study on attitudes toward gender equality, sexual behavior, positive sexual experiences, and communication about sex among sexually active and non-sexually active adolescents in Bolivia and Ecuador. Global Health Action, 11(7), 24089. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v7.24089.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gavrilidis, G., Gavriilidou, N. N., Pettersson, E., Renhammar, E., Balkfors, A., & Ostergren, P. O. (2014). Empowerment evaluation of a Swedish gender equity plan. Global Health Action, 7, 23710. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v7.23710.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glasier, A., Gülmezoglu, A. M., Schmid, G. P., Moreno, C. G., & Van Look, P. F. (2006). Sexual and reproductive health: A matter of life and death. Lancet, 368, 1595–1607.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Glass, N., Fredland, N., Campbell, J., Yonas, M., Sharps, P., & Kub, J. (2003). Adolescent dating violence: Prevalence, risk factors, health outcomes, and implications for clinical practice. Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Neonatal Nursing, 32, 227–238. https://doi.org/10.1177/0884217503252033.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goz, F., Babadağlı, B., Altınsoy, N., & Yıldızoğlu, I. (2005). Evlilik öncesi dönemdeki genç kızların aile planlaması ile ilgili bilgi ve düşünceleri (Knowledges and ideas about family planning of pre married period girls). Anadolu Hemşirelik ve Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, 8(3), 47–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gursoy, E., McCool, W. F., Sahinoglu, S., Genc, Y. Y. (2016). Views of women’s sexuality and violence against women in Turkey: A cross-sectional investigation among university students. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 27(2), 189–198.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haglund, K., Belknap, R. A., & Garcia, J. T. (2012). Mexican american female adolescents’ perceptions of relationships and dating violence. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 44(3), 215–222.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kahraman, D. S. (2011). Kadınlarda toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı eğitim ve danışmanlık hizmetlerinin sağlık davranışlarına etkisi: Yavuz Selim Mahallesi Örneği. (The effect of social gender based education and consultancy services on women’s health behaviour: Sample of Yavuz Selim district) Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi (Journal of Health Sciences), 21(1). Retrieved from http://sagens.erciyes.edu.tr/dergi/2012_1/ozetler.pdf.

  • Kalkan, M., & Ersanlı, E. (2008). Bilişsel-davranışçı yaklaşıma dayalı evlilik ilişkisini geliştirme programının evli bireylerin evlilik uyumuna etkisi. Kuram ve Uygulamada Eğitim Bilimleri, 8, 963–986.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kavuran, E. (2011). Hemşirelik öğrencilerinin cinsiyet eşitliğine bakışlarının belirlenmesi (Perspectives of the nursing students about the gender equality) (Master Thesis). Atatürk University, Erzurum, Turkey.

  • Kefalas, M. J., Furstenberg, F. F., Carr, P. J., & Napolitano, L. (2011). Marriage is more than being together: The meaning of marriage for young adults. Journal of Family Issues, 32(7), 845–875.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kepir-Savoly, D., Ulaş, O., & Demirtaş-Zorbaz, S. (2014). Factors that influence level of couple violence acceptance among university students. Turkish Psychological Counseling and Guidance Journal, 5(42), 173–183.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khalaj, F., Farahani, A., Shah, I., Cleland, J., & Mohammadi, M. R. (2012). Adolescent males and young females in Tehran: Differing perspectives, behaviors and needs for reproductive health and implications for gender sensitive interventions. Journal Reproductive Infertility, 13(2), 101–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khazaeia, M., Rostamib, R., & Zaryabic, A. (2011). The Relationship between sexual dysfunctions and marital satisfaction in Iranian married students. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 783–785.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khongsdier, R., Varte, R., & Mukherjee, N. (2005). Excess male chronic energy deficiency among adolescents: A cross-sectional study in the context of patrilineal and matrilineal societies in Northeast India. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 59, 1007–1014.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kılıç, M., Apay, S. E., & Beji, N. K. (2011). İnfertilite ve kültür (Infertility and culture). İstanbul Üniversitesi Florence Nightingale University Nursing Journal (İÜFN Hemşirelik Dergisi), 19(2), 109–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kırmızıgül, E. (2014). Yeni evlenecek çiftlerin evliliğe yönelik görüşleri ile üreme sağlığı bilgi gereksinimlerinin belirlenmesi (Ideas of the couples about to be married on the topics of marriage and determining the needs of knowledge about reproductive health) (Master Thesis). Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Health Sciences Faculty, Nursing Department, Ankara.

  • Kısa, S., Zeyneloğlu, S., Yılmaz, D., & Verim, E. (2013). Evlilik hazırlığı yapan çiftlerin cinsellikle ilgili bilgi ve inanışları (Knowledge and beliefs related to sexuality of couples doing marriage preparation). TAF Preventive Medicine Bulletin, 12(3), 297–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lotfi, K. F., & Vaziri, S. (2011). The effect of sexual skills training on marital satisfaction. Procedia–Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 2581–2585.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moodi, M., Miri, M. R., & Sharifirad, G. R. (2013). The effect of instruction on knowledge and attitude of couples attending pre-marriage counseling classes. Journal of Education and Health Promotion. https://doi.org/10.4103/2277-9531.119038.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pourmarzi, D., Rimaz, S., & Merghati, K. E. (2014). Sexual and reproductive health educational needs in engaged couples in Tehran in 2010. Sexuality Research and Social Policy Journal, 11, 225–232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-014-0159-4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Republic of Turkey Ministry of Family and Social Policies. (2014). Domestic violence against women in Turkey. Retrieved April 30, 2016 from http://www.hips.hacettepe.edu.tr/ING_SUMMARY_REPORT_VAW_2014.pdf.

  • Rizvi, N., Khan, K. S., & Shaikh, B. T. (2014). Gender: Shaping personality, lives and health of women in Pakistan. BMC Women’s Health, 14, 53.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Sahiner, G., & Akyuz, A. (2010). Gender and women’s reproductive health. TAF Preventive Medicine Bulletin, 9(4), 333–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sardoğan, M. E., & Karahan, T. F. (2005). Evli bireylere yönelik bir insan ilişkileri beceri eğitim programının evli bireylerin evlilik uyum düzeylerine etkisi (The effect of human relation skill training program for married couples on the level of marital adjustment of married couples). Ankara Üniversitesi Eğitim Bilimleri Fakültesi Dergisi, 38(2), 89–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saydam, B. K. (2003). Türk toplumunda infertil kadınların statusu (Status of the infertil women in Turkish Society). Sağlık ve Toplum, 13(1), 30–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sezer, Ö. (2008). The adaptation of acceptance of couple violence scale into Turkish: Validity and reliability studies. Inonu University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 9(16), 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turk, R., Senol-Celik, S., Çetin, M., & Soydan, G. (2017). Experiences and views of married women about domestic violence. International Journal of Nursing Practice. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijn.12543.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Turkish Demographics and Health Study (Türkiye Nüfus ve Sağlık Araştırması). (2013). Retrieved April 25, 2016 from http://www.hips.hacettepe.edu.tr/tnsa2013/rapor/TNSA_2013_ana_rapor.pdf.

  • Vefikuluçay, D., Zeyneloğlu, S., Eroğlu, K., & Taşkın, L. (2007). Kafkas Üniversitesi son sınıf öğrencilerinin toplumsal cinsiyet rollerine ilişkin bakış açıları. HÜ Hemşirelik Yüksekokulu Dergisi, 14(2), 26–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y., Yao, W., Shang, M., Cai, Y., Shi, R., Ma, J., et al. (2013). Sexual and reproductive health among unmarried rural-urban female migrants in Shanghai China: A comparative analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 10(8), 3578–3589.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • WHO. (2010). Violence prevention: The evidence, series of briefings on violence prevention: The evidence. WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data: World Health Organization. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/77936/1/9789241500845_eng.pdf?ua=1.

  • Yılmaz, A., Tanrıverdi, H. M., Gücük, S., & Akan, Z. (2013). Van il merkezinde evlenme başvurusunda bulunan çiftlerin kontrasepsiyon bilgi durumları. Dicle Tıp Dergisi, 40(3), 453–457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yip, P. S. F., Zhang, H., Lam, T., Lam, K. F., Lee, A. M., Chan, J., et al. (2013). Sex knowledge, attitudes and high-risk sexual behaviors among unmarried youth in Hong Kong. BMC Public Health, 13, 691. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-691.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Zeyneloğlu, S., & Terzioğlu, F. (2011). Development and psychometric properties gender roles attitude scale. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 40, 409–420.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank to Women Health Nursing Society in Ankara, Turkey which helps to create this working group.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Obstetrics & Gynecology Nursing Department, Nursing Faculty, Istinye University, Istanbul, Turkey

    Fusun Terzioglu

  2. Obstetrics & Gynecology Nursing Department, Nursing Faculty, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey

    Gulsah Kok & Gulten Guvenc

  3. Nursing Department, Health Sciences Faculty, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

    Funda Ozdemir & Basak Demirtas Hicyilmaz

  4. Midwifery Department, Health Sciences Faculty, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey

    Ilknur Munevver Gonenc & Neslihan Yılmaz Sezer

Authors
  1. Fusun Terzioglu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gulsah Kok
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gulten Guvenc
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Funda Ozdemir
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ilknur Munevver Gonenc
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Basak Demirtas Hicyilmaz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Neslihan Yılmaz Sezer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gulsah Kok.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors have disclosed that they have no significant relationships with, or financial interest in, any commercial companies pertaining to this article.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Terzioglu, F., Kok, G., Guvenc, G. et al. Sexual and Reproductive Health Education Needs, Gender Roles Attitudes and Acceptance of Couple Violence According to Engaged Men and Women. Community Ment Health J 54, 354–360 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-017-0227-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-017-0227-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation