Sexuality beliefs among Cambodians: implications for health care professionals

Abstract

An ethnographic study was conducted among 53 Cambodian women and men to generate information about the sexuality beliefs of this group. Major themes included the relationship between women's sexuality and family honor, the acceptance of pregnancy as inevitable, and the limited discussion of sexuality among intimate friends and family members. During the war, sexuality was controlled by the Khmer Rouge when family life was restructured. Personnel in the refugee camps introduced the concept of family planning to Cambodians, exposing them not only to new information, but also to discussion of an intimate topic with strangers. The resettlement experience continues this trend while rumors about family planning methods continue and premarital pregnancies occur. Health care professionals who work with Cambodians need to do so in collaboration and conjunction with the community.

PIP: Cambodian immigrants in northern California 16-85 years old, were interviewed and observed to collect information about their beliefs about sexuality (menstruation, sexual intercourse, and family planning). Before the war, discussion about menstruation and sexual intercourse rarely occurred among friends and relatives. They thought that limited knowledge about sexuality prevented premarital sexual intercourse. Any digressions from acceptable behavior by daughters tarnished family honor. Cambodians accepted pregnancy as inevitable and natural. During the Khmer Rouge years, families were separated for long periods of time. The Khmer Rouge considered premarital sex a crime and punished the man and the woman with death. They arranged marriages, most of which dissolved when the Vietnamese invaded or at the refugee camps. Most women suffered from amenorrhea during the Khmer Rouge period. The year the Vietnamese invaded, birth rates increased, signaling the return to menses and a normal family life. In the refugee camps, the Cambodians were introduced to family planning. Thus, they became exposed to new information, which engaged them in discussions about an intimate topic with strangers. Rumors about family planning methods first surfaced in the camps and continued in the US. This exposure apparently led to a change in women's behavior, e.g., premarital intercourse and not listening to husbands or fathers. Information received in the US reinforced this behavior. Parents were concerned that sex education classes teach children how to have sexual intercourse. Premarital pregnancies reinforced this belief. Cambodians realized the difficulty of having a large family in the US. Extramarital affairs increased. Health care providers, e.g., nurses, should work with the Cambodian community to design and implement culturally appropriate health education programs.