A Comparison of Female and Male Adolescents' View on Premarital Sex in Private (Catholic) Secondary Schools

Abstract

This study was conducted for a two-fold purpose: to determine adolescents' views on premarital sex and to discover whether perceived school views, perceived peers' view, school influence, peer influence, media influence and/or other people's influence contribute to their personal views about premarital sexual behaviour. To accomplish the previous, adolescents filled survey questionnaires and a representative number of respondents participated in focus group discussions. For the latter, a regression analysis was conducted. Only perceive peers, attitudes on premarital sexual behaviour was found to be a moderate predictor suggesting that premarital sexual attitudes of adolescents are mostly influenced by what their friends think about premarital sexual behaviours. Their relationship is positive, hence this stipulates that if adolescents think their friends' perceptions on premarital sex is conservative, disallowing, and non-condoning, then they are most likely to internalize and hold those beliefs. School views and influence in this case is superseded by peer's views.