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Understanding Sexual Abstinence In African American Teens, Kristin Haglund

College of Nursing Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: To explore the perspectives of teenage girls on how life contexts influenced sexuality and sexual abstinence.

Study Design and Methods: A qualitative descriptive study with a convenience sample of 14 sexually abstinent African American adolescent females who were interviewed to obtain their life histories. Narrative analysis was used to identify unique and common experiences and to develop themes.

Results: For these participants, being abstinent was a way to demonstrate their emerging identities as adult women. They described themselves as faithful, unique persons who defied negative stereotypes, avoided risky situations, wanted to be strong women like their …