No study to date has focused on barriers to condom use specifically among young immigrants to Europe from sub-Saharan Africa. Based on a qualitative study in sociology, this paper explores generational differences in barriers to condom use between first-generation immigrants (born in Africa and arrived in Switzerland after age 10) and second-generation immigrants (born in Switzerland to two native parents or arrived in Switzerland before age 10). Results are based on in-depth, semistructured individual interviews conducted with 47 young women and men aged 18 to 25 to understand how individual, relational, and cultural dimensions influence sexual socialization and practices. Six main barriers to consistent condom use were identified: reduced pleasure perception, commitment and trust, family-transmitted sexual norms and parental control, lack of accurate knowledge on HIV transmission, lack of awareness about HIV in Switzerland, and gender inequalities. The three first barriers concerned both generations of immigrants, whereas the three last revealed generational differences. These findings can help sexual health providers identify social causes for young sub-Saharan immigrants not using condoms. The findings also highlight the necessity of offering accurate, accessible, and adapted information to all young immigrants, as well as the particular importance of addressing families’ lack of discussions about sex, understanding the sexual norms transmitted by parents, and taking into consideration cultural differences among young people born in immigration countries. © 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Barriers sub-Saharan young immigrants sexual socialization Condom use

perception immigrant HIV Infections Africa south of the Sahara sexual behavior Human immunodeficiency virus infection Safe Sex human immigration condom Condoms controlled study socialization nonhuman African ethnology Human immunodeficiency virus qualitative research sexually transmitted disease interview Sexually Transmitted Diseases condom use Young Adult Humans migrant psychology sociology Adolescent Trust Interviews as Topic male Emigrants and Immigrants female pleasure Africa clinical article sexual health Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Article awareness adult gender human experiment attitude to health Switzerland