Psychosocial Determinants of Premarital Sexual Abstinence Among Senior High School Adolescents (Published)
The study examined psychosocial factors that influence adolescents in senior high school to abstain from premarital sex in the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipality of Ghana using the exploratory sequential mixed method design. Participants consisted of 341 subjects drawn from the two public senior high schools in the Municipality. Ten participants were selected through purposive sampling for the qualitative study while 331 respondents were selected for the quantitative study using stratified, quota and random sampling techniques. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data of the study, while standard multiple regression was used to analyse the quantitative data. The study revealed that some more initiatives are needed in the senior high schools to assist majority of students to abstain from premarital sex. The study also found out that collectively, attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, home environment, religiosity and school environment, influence adolescents’ intention to abstain from premarital sex. Nonetheless, attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control are psychosocial factors that better predict adolescents’ intention to abstain from premarital sex. School authorities in collaboration with parents, must beef up sex education and assist adolescent students to develop necessary skills and attitudes to abstain from premarital sex.
Keywords: Abstinence, Adolescents, Psychosocial, Senior High School, sexual