Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and variables influencing pre-marital sex among secondary school adolescents in Anambra State of Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among secondary school adolescents in Anambra State. Data was collected using a pre-tested, structured, self-administered questionnaire. Respondents were selected using a multistage sampling technique. The instrument used for data collection in the study was the Secondary School Student Sex Variables Questionnaire (SSSVQ) which was constructed by the researcher. A total of 955 respondents were surveyed. More than half of the respondents (54.8%) are aged between 14 and 17 years of age. The prevalence of pre-marital sex among the respondents was 66.6%. Among the 636 respondents who have had pre-marital sex, 500 (78.6%) were males, while 136 (21.4%) were females (X2=0.010, df=1, p=0.010). It was concluded that that the incidence of pre-marital sex among secondary school adolescents is high. It was recommended that Nurses who are in charge of school health clinics should counsel the adolescents on the dangers of pre-marital sex and also provide them with skills to be able to take the right decisions and parents and guardians should re-examine and sharpen their parenting skills with a view to instilling the desired strong moral and disciplinary attitudes in the youths.

Keywords: Variables; Pre-marital sex; Adolescence; Secondary schools