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conferenceseries.com
Volume 5, Issue 4 (Suppl) Occup Med Health Aff
ISSN: 2329-6879 OMHA, an open access journal Health Congress 2017
October 16-17, 2017
October 16-17, 2017 Dubai, UAE
12th World Congress on
Industrial Health, Healthcare and Medical Tourism
Students’ views and attitudes towards homosexuality at the University of Venda, Limpopo province,
South Africa.
Mercy Mushwana
University of Venda, South Africa
Background: while the past decade has seen an improvement in attitudes towards homosexuality, negative attitudes are still
prevalent in many parts of the world. In general, increased levels of education tend to be predictive of relatively positive
attitudes towards homosexuality.
Aim: This study was about students’ views and attitudes about homosexuality at the University of Venda. The main aim of
this study was to examine students’ views about homosexuality, highlighting possible determinants of attitudes towards
homosexuality and to identify strategies, which promote tolerance and understanding of sexual orientation and preferences.
Methods: The study was qualitative in nature and used non-probability sampling. The population involved students at the
University of Venda. The two subtypes are used were snowball sampling and purposive sampling. The study was conducted
at the University of Venda within the Thulamela Municipality, Vhembe District in Limpopo Province. The data was collected
from 8 participants. The data was analysed using thematic content analysis.
Results: The study found that some students at the University of Venda have positive views about homosexuality and equally
negative views. The possible determinants that were identified by the researcher were Christian beliefs, the family that a person
comes from and their cultural beliefs as well as also lack of exposure to different people. The study also found that students
believed that education, strict rules and social activities would reduce the negative attitudes towards homosexuality. Cultural
beliefs also played an important role in students beliefs when it comes to homosexuality. It was found out that it is culturally
unacceptable for one to be in a homosexual relationship or engage in sexual activities with the person of same sex. The study
collected found that family has an influence as a determinant of view and perception towards homosexuality because people
are highly influenced by the family that they were raised in.
Conclusion: The current study showed that most students interviewed suggested education as a strategy to promote tolerance
towards homosexuality, the participants suggested that the educational programs and campaigns regarding LGBT should be
offered to the students in order to reduce the negative thoughts among them.
Biography
Mercy Mushwana is a Lecturer in Department of Psychology at the University of Venda where she teaches mainly courses in research methods. She supervises
Masters and Honors research students. She is currently finalizing her PhD with the University of Venda. She has worked as a SAHARA Journal Manager for five
years. She also worked as a Researcher at HRSC. Her research interest includes rehabilitation of offenders, obesity, mental health and health promotion. She has
reviewed several books and published several articles in accredited journals.
Mercy Mushwana, Occup Med Health Aff 2017, 5:4 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2329-6879-C1-038