Contraceptive decision making among Chinese international students in Melbourne: findings from a qualitative investigation

Compared to their non-Chinese peers in Australia, Chinese international students have very low rates of effective contraceptive use and this combined with other factors impacts unintended pregnancy rates. There is limited research exploring Chinese international students in Australia's decision-making with respect to contraceptive choices. In early 2020, 26 individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18-25-year-old Chinese international students to explore factors influencing their contraceptive choices. Using both deductive and inductive analysis, seven primary themes were identified. Of note was the identification of the strongly expressed cultural value of (ai xi, cherishing). Cherishing was used to describe the promotion of self-protection and the protection of loved ones from any negative outcomes related to contraceptive methods. Findings suggest that cherishing has an important role to play in Chinese students' decision-making around contraception. In particular, notions of cherishing may make it difficult for Chinese international students to accept and trust the advantages of hormonal contraceptives. Moreover, the confusing and inconsistent terminology students use to describe contraceptive options may hamper their ability to access effective forms of contraception in Australia.

Automated summary

Compared to their non-Chinese peers in Australia, Chinese international students have lower rates of effective contraceptive use, which leads to higher unintended pregnancy rates. Limited research has been conducted to explore the decision-making of Chinese international students in Australia regarding contraceptive choices. This study conducted semi-structured interviews with 18-25-year-old Chinese international students to explore the factors influencing their contraceptive choices. The findings highlight the cultural value of "cherishing" as an important factor influencing Chinese students' decision-making around contraception.