The Norms around Sexual Initiation and Contraceptive Use is a 7-item measure to assess norms around premarital sex and contraceptive use. The scale has 3 items on descriptive norms and 4 on injunctive norms.
Geographies Tested: Nigeria
Populations Included: Female
Age Range: Adolescents, Adults
1. Most of my friends are having sex before marriage.
2. Most of my friends think female adolescents do not have to maintain their virginity.
3. Most adolescent girls talk to their partnersboyfriends about contraceptives.
4. Most of my friends think it is cool to have sex at my age.
5. Most of my friends think that adolescents who do not have sex before marriage are old-fashioned.
6. A woman who uses contraception without her husband’s knowledge should be punished.*
7. Most of my friends would approve of my using contraceptives.
*Item is reverse scored
Response Options:
Strongly agree - 1
Somewhat agree - 2
Somewhat disagree - 3
Somewhat disagree - 4
Don’t know - 98
Scores for individual items are summed, ranging from 7 to 28. Higher scores indicate a more unfavorable view toward premarital sex and contraceptive use.
Agha, S., Morgan, B., Archer, H., Paul, S., Babigumira, J. B., & Guthrie, B. L. (2021). Understanding how social norms affect modern contraceptive use. BMC Public Health, 21(1), 1061. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-11110-2
Psychometric Score
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Evidence-based Measures of Empowerment for Research on Gender Equality (EMERGE)
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