Sexual Relationship Decision Making Based on Entertainment Media: A Qualitative Perspective Among Young Couples

As important as physical, mental, or social health is sexual health. Teenage pregnancy, STDs/STIs, and unsafe abortions are just a few of the population health issues that can arise from the absence of adequate sex education for young people. The purpose of this study is to investigate the process of sexual decision-making as influenced by media intervention among couples. Entertainment education (EE) is an approach that uses storytelling to influence large-scale behaviour change. EE has been used as a potent tool to educate, enlighten, and influence society and individual behaviour change worldwide. Through entertainment education, people have been taught about themes like HIV, family planning, pregnancy and child health, violence against women, and other subjects. Web series or movies that are accessible on the online subscription service, Netflix was taken into consideration for this study. Although there is a great deal of research on adolescent sexuality, studies of sexual decision-making have traditionally been gendered, meaning that men and women have been examined separately. This study is designed for a qualitative investigation using a phenomenological approach. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse semi-structured interviews of couples in a heterosexual romantic relationship. The findings will reveal the influence of entertainment education on young couples’ choices in their intimate relationships.