Evaluation of sexual communication languages and counselling needs of mothers registered in Çukurova Üniversity Education family health centre

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the sexual communication language and counselling needs of mothers having 3-14 years old kids. Material and Method: Mothers who are registered at Çukurova University Education Family Health Center having 3-14 years old kids (n=370) is represented by a minimum sample size (n=230) were targeted. The Sexual Communication Scale for Parents and the Perceived Sexual Communication Scale for Parents were applied to the participants, along with a survey form that questioned their sociodemographic information, their knowledge levels and sources regarding sexual development/education in children, their education/counselling needs, and their own sexual experiences. T-test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation tests were used in data analysis. Results: It was found that 46% of 235 participants with a mean age of 35.8±5.7 (23-50) years evaluated that their level of knowledge about sexual development and education in children as good/very good and the most commonly reported source of information was the internet (68.9%). Only 2.6% of the participants reported that their family/paediatrician made recommendations regarding sexual education. While 5.9% of the participants stated that they did not want to get any training on this subject, 57.9% preferred individual training/consultancy, 30.2% preferred group training/consultancy, 37.9% preferred brochures and book recommendations, and 31.9% preferred internet recommendation. It was obtained that the sexual communication language scores of the participants were significantly higher than what they perceived from their own mothers (p<0.05). The sexual communication language scores of the participants who defined their knowledge level as good/very good were higher in content, managing the process and total (p<0.05). Participants who experienced tension/anxiety about their sexual life had low sexual communication scores (p<0.05). Conclusion: Although one in every two mothers evaluated their level of knowledge about sexual development and education in children as good/very good, it is noteworthy that 94.1% of them wanted to get education/consultancy, but very few physicians made recommendations on this subject. It is recommended that family physicians and paediatricians take into consideration the findings in this study and provide training/consultancy services by taking advantage of appropriate opportunities. Keywords: Family Physician, Mother-child relationships, Sexual Education, Sexual Development