NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: social sciences, mental health, women's health, sexual health

Objective(s): The objective of this study is to understand the factors that either help or prevent young women in the NWT from experiencing positive, empowered and safer sexuality.

Project Description: The objective of this study is to understand the factors that either help or prevent young women in the NWT from experiencing positive, empowered and safer sexuality. This is a qualitative study, which means that the researcher will gather words instead of numbers about the perceptions, thoughts, and experiences of young women in the NWT. The researcher will interview women who want to participate in this study. Each interview will have a short questionnaire that asks each participant their age, level of education, length of time they have spent in the NWT, living situation, and employment, as well as about 9 other questions and will take approximately one-to-two hours to complete. The interview will be audio-taped, if the participant allows. The tapes will be typed up word-for-word; however, all identifying information (such as names, place names, etc) will be changed so that no one will be able to identify the participant or community which they belong. The researcher will interview 10 to 12 participants who meet study inclusion criteria. Participants will include young women between the ages of 15 to 19 years old who speak English, who have lived in the Northwest Territories for at least two years, and who primarily have sexual relationships (oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse) with males. The researcher will report research findings to participants and the community through written documents and oral presentations, including copies of a completed Master's thesis in August 2009. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from September 15 to December 31, 2008 at in Yellowknife.