Abstract
Adolescent sexual health awareness is an important concern, particularly in rural communities where access to reliable information may be limited. This study examines adolescents' awareness of safe sexual practices from a sociological perspective using Social Capital Theory. A qualitative study was conducted in the Kumaragama Grama Niladhari Division, Hingurakgoda Divisional Secretariat Division, Polonnaruwa District, Sri Lanka. Data were collected through interviews with ten adolescent girls and one Public Health Midwife and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that family relationships, school-based education, peer networks, digital media, religious institutions, and government health services influence adolescents' access to sexual and reproductive health information. Supportive family communication and professional health services facilitated access to knowledge, while restricted communication, limited sexuality education, cultural sensitivities, and online misinformation created information gaps. Drawing on bonding, bridging, and linking social capital, the study concludes that strengthening supportive social relationships and institutional connections can improve adolescents' access to reliable information and contribute to safer sexual and reproductive health practice.
Keywords
- Adolescents
- Sexual Health Awareness
- Social Capital
- Teenage Pregnancy
Read the full article
The PDF contains the full text of the published article.
picture_as_pdf View full article (PDF)How to cite
Rodrigo, W. D. (2026) ‘Social Capital and Adolescents Sexual Health Awareness: A Qualitative Sociological Study in Rural Sri Lanka’, Nile - Eurasian International Journal of Humanities, 1(1), pp. 13–35. https://doi.org/10.68283/neijh.v1.i1.a02