Predictors of adolescent premarital sexual attitude : the influence of psychosocial and sociocultural factors

Abstract

To examine multiple influences on middle adolescent sexuality, focusing on premarital sexual attitudes because of their influence on sexual behavior. The questionnaire survey was conducted on eight public schools, four high schools and four vocational schools. One of each type of schools will be purposively selected from each province. Four provinces were purposively sampled as representatives of four regions, i.e., Chiang Mai for the North, Khon Kaen for the Northeast and Songkhla for the South of Thailand. The total sample size was 1,623 with 610 were male and 1,013 were female students. When grouping by types of schools, 794 students were from high school while 829 were from vocational schools. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to predict the influences of independent variables both individual psychosocial factors and socio-cultural factors to premarital sexual attitudes. Individual psychosocial variables were measured by self-esteem and sexual intercourse experience, and socio-cultural variables were measured by teen-parent relationship, teen-parent communication about sexual matters, peer relationship, communication with peer, perceived sexual behaviors of friend, and gender role expectation and other background variables such as region, gender, parent educational level were also included. Twelve out of seventeen factors demonstrated significant influence on adolescent premarital sexual attitude with R2 of 0.41.5 (p>0.001). While seven of twelve predictors, 1) Gender role expectation, 2) Peer communication related to sexual matters, 3) Sexual intercourse experiences, 4) Adolescent male, 5) Adolescent, who had steady boy/girl friend in the past year, and 6) Adolescent in the Northeast 7) Adolescent in the Central were positively related to premarital sexual attitude and had negative value toward responsible pre-marital sexual activity except for peer communication about sexual matters and adolescent living in the central. Other variables as teen-parent relationship, peer relationship, and adolescent in difference type of school system while negatively explained adolescent premarital sexual attitude were positively associated with responsible sexual activity. The result presented the gender role expectation as the strongest predictor. In conclusion, both the psychosocial and sociocultural factors were found to significantly explain the premarital sexual attitude.