An interpretative phenomenological analysis of young men’s experiences of addressing their sexual health and the importance of researcher reflexivity

Abstract

Background Incidence of sexually transmitted infections has increased in both young men and young women. Young men do not access sexual health services in the same numbers as young women, this study sought to discover young men’s experiences. Aims This paper reports one overarching theme from an interpretative phenomenological study that sought to discover the experiences of young males (aged 20–24) addressing or failing to address their sexual health. Owing to the sensitive subject under investigation, these participants were hard to reach for research purposes. Methods This study used interpretative phenomenological analysis and the researcher was a young female (aged 20–30), in contrast with participants. This affected data collection and analysis so the importance of reflexivity in interpretative phenomenological analysis is discussed here. Results Six superordinate themes were identified: sexual health knowledge and attitudes; feelings about masculinities; communication; feelings about healthcare; feelings about working; and keeping fit. From these, three overarching themes were developed, these reflect the depth of data analysis undertaken. One of these themes, the ‘hidden moral code’, and the importance of researcher reflexivity in its identification are discussed here. Conclusions It is suggested that interpretative phenomenological analysis is a particularly suitable method for nursing research, which allows and embraces the influence and attributes of the researcher. This paper considers one superordinate theme in depth, chosen because the researcher’s attributes are a significant factor in its recognition.