‘Is this normal?’: puberty curiosity, meaning-making and communicative silence among adolescent boys in rural Bangladesh

Puberty-related concerns among adolescent boys in Bangladesh remain significantly underexplored, due largely to social constraints surrounding discussion of sexuality and bodily development. This qualitative study examined the puberty-related questions asked by 550 boys and young men aged 10–17 drawn from 12 rural schools in four Bangladeshi districts, using anonymous written elicitation, and analysed through reflexive thematic analysis informed by health literacy and communication ecology theories. Grounded by these theories, this study inductively identified five emerging themes: boys evaluated physical development through peer comparison; boys expressed concerns about perceived bodily harm associated with ejaculation, nocturnal emissions and masturbation; boys attributed emotional and cognitive changes to personal fault; boys morally judged emerging romantic attraction before understanding it; and boys redirected unspoken curiosity towards peers and digital sources. Friends were the most frequently reported sources of information regarding physical, reproductive and emotional changes during puberty, while parents, teachers and health professionals were rarely mentioned in boys’ narratives. Findings indicate that communication silence reflects constrained access to credible, confidential guidance rather than limited curiosity, and that puberty education should address psychosocial development, correct misinformation and foster safe environments for more open dialogue.