From Taboo to Talk: The Importance of Open and Honest Discussions About Sex and Sexuality in India.xlsx

The limited access to comprehensive sexual health education in India amplifies the pre-existing taboo around discussing sex and sexuality, leading to guilt and shame about sexual behaviour. This has negative consequences for sexual health and well-being, making it necessary to understand how individual, educational, and religious factors shape the sexual attitudes and practices of young adults. The study examined the influence of gender, sexual orientation, religion, and sex education on the knowledge, guilt, and attitudes towards sex of 120 young adults across India. Participants completed the Sex Guilt subscale of the Revised Mosher Guilt Inventory (RMGI, 2011) and Sex Knowledge and Attitude Questionnaire II (SKAQ II, 1992), and independent t-tests were performed on the data. Major findings showed that males and Christians had higher levels of sex guilt on average, and those who received sex education had higher levels of sex guilt and conservative sex attitudes than those who did not. Non-heterosexuals had more liberal sex attitudes than heterosexuals. These results underline the need for comprehensive and culturally aware sex education programs that can address the causes of sex guilt, promote positive attitudes, and improve sexual health outcomes.