A mixed methods mapping of church versus secular school messages to influence sexual decision making as perceived by Zimbabwean orphan girl students

This study examined the messages perceived by adolescent girls with orphanhood to influence their sexual decision making. Participants were 125 students (mean age = 14.7 years), 54% of whom attended church schools in a rural district of eastern Zimbabwe. We collected and analyzed data using concept mapping, a mixed method approach that enabled the construction of message clusters, with weighting for their relative importance. Messages that clustered under Biblical Teachings and Life Planning ranked highest in salience among students in both church and secular schools. Protecting Family Honor, HIV Prevention, and Social Stigma messages ranked next, respectively. Contrary to study hypotheses, the messages that orphan adolescent girls perceived to influence their sexual decisions did not vary by type of school attended.