Introduction
The influence of parents in the upbringing of their children in certain ways of life cannot be over emphasised. In terms of sexual behaviour, the way parents behave or their actions and the examples they show to their children have a great influence on the adolescents’ sexual behaviour and development (Maccoby and Martin, 2013). Nevertheless, a prominent study has clarified that children and adolescents with sexual behaviour problems have been opened to variety of family dysfunction that may impact on them the development of sexually inappropriate behaviour (Bentovim, 2008).
Wallerstein and Lewis (2004) posited that girls who come from single parent families entered into sexual relationships at an earlier age than girls who came from in-tact (two-parent) families. In-fact, gender difference between children in a divorce plays a very vital role on how they adjust. Several studies have buttressed that boys react more differently than girls in divorced families. This implies that boys seem to face serious difficulties when their parents are not together as a result of divorce, separation, desertion, widower and widowhood. This challenge may lead to peers fights, withdrawal of adolescents from schools and social interactions (Blakeslee and Wallerstein, 2009).
Another research advocated that lack of parental support was related to depression for teen males and females, but the association between depressive symptoms and sexual activity was much stronger for females than males. In-effect, inadequate support from parents also led to the propensity for alcohol use which was more strongly associated with early sexual activity of teen males than females (Whitbeck, Hoyt, Miller & Kao, 2012).
The study conducted by Ajidahun (2011) has also shown that there is a high level of sexual activities among Nigerian adolescents. Many of these activities include: having more than one sex partners, patronage of prostitutes (among the males), and masturbation when they lack access to opposite sex, lesbianism and homosexuality.
Conceptual framework
According to Finer (2013), premarital sex is sexual activity practiced by people who are unmarried. Historically, premarital sex was considered a moral issue which was taboo in many cultures and considered a sin by a number of religions.
Allen (2009), described premarital sex as sexual relations between two people prior to marrying each other. The term is also referred to as “fornication” especially by different religious groups, which had negative connotations.
Ahrold and Meston (2010), highlighted that premarital sex refers to any sexual relations a person has prior to marriage and removing the emphasis on the relationship of the people involved. This definition included any sex between individuals whether they intend to get married on a further date or the sexual relation is between people who are uninterested in getting married to each other.
Baumeister and Mendoza (2011), cited alternative terms for premarital sex, including non-marital sex (which overlaps with adultery), youthful sex, adolescent sex, and young-adult sex.
Treffers (2013), noted that among adolescents, engaging in premarital sex is tied to a lot of factors which include family background, environmental factors, peer pressure, level of sex education and a lot other factors which may vary from one society to another.
Prevalence rate of premarital sex
In so many part of Nigeria, many people do not hold value in sexual abstinence before marriage. Historically, at least a significant portion of people have engaged in premarital sex, although the number willing to admit to having done so was not always high. In a study conducted in Lagos, Nigeria, 61 percent of men and 42 percent of women admitted to having premarital sex; the gender disparity may have been caused by cultural double standards regarding the admission of sexual activity or by men frequenting prostitutes (Nnachi, 2013).
Omoegun (2014), stated that between 55 and 70 percent of Nigerian adolescents had vaginal intercourse before the age of 19. This has been attributed to numerous causes, including the increasing median age at marriage and the widespread availability of efficient contraceptives. According to a 2011 UNICEF survey, in 10 out of 12 developed nations with available data, more than two-thirds of young people have had sexual intercourse while still in their teens.
In Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States, the proportion is over 80%. In Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, approximately 25% of 15-year-olds and 50% of 17-year-olds have sex (UNICEF, 2011).
In a 2015 Kaiser Family Foundation study of US teenagers, 29% of teens reported feeling pressure to have sex, 33% of sexually active teens reported “being in a relationship where they felt things were moving too fast sexually”, and 24% had “done something sexual they didn’t really want to do”. Several polls have indicated peer pressure as a factor in encouraging both girls and boys to have sex (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 2015).
Contributory factors to premarital sex
According to Adewale (2010), contributory factors to premarital sex include:
- Pressure: Pressure from parents, friends, peer group, lecturer, boss, future partners. Some men mount pressure physically on women while some female mount pressure on men by dressing to seduce men. Some male bosses in places of work mount pressure on female workers.
- Curiosity: Many youths have engaged themselves in premarital sex as a result of curiosity. This comes in form of searching for reality; they are not satisfied with what they are being told concerning sex, they want to experience it themselves.
- Electronic media: Television, film, radio and video has contributed to the high rate of premarital sex among youths. What youths watch on screen to a very large extent determine their behaviour and character.
- Books and magazines: So many authors write sexual stories, books and magazines, they bring out many pictures that stimulate the youth to think about sex always. Having read all these books, youths become restless until they have put into practice what they learned in the books and magazines.
- Environmental influence: The society contributes to premarital sex since come environment influence youth especially girls to expose their body indecently.
- Greed: Greed for money, wealth and position is another cause of premarital sex. Some female want money at all costs hence they are ready to use their bodies to get it by sleeping around with men.
Ling (2009), also identified other contributory factors to premarital sex to include indiscipline, wrong association, ignorance, wrong information, bad parenting, idleness, loneliness and broken homes.
Influence of the family on premarital sex among adolescents
Research suggests that family can strongly influence their adolescent sexual behaviour. Parents’ marital status, their disapproval of and discussion with adolescent about the standards of behaviour and the social and moral consequence of adolescents’ sexual activity as well as parental monitoring all appear to impact adolescents’ decisions to engage in sexual activity.
- Parent-adolescent communication: Adolescents whose parents discussed the social and moral consequences of being sexually active are less likely to engage in sexual intercourse. The more mothers communicated with their adolescent children about the social and moral consequences of sexual activity, the less likely adolescents were to engage in sexual intercourse (Guilamo-Ramos, 2016).
- Parental monitoring: Children whose parents monitor them more closely are less likely to be sexually active when they are in their teens. Adolescents whose parents report stricter monitoring of their children’s behaviours during pre-adolescence are 30 percent less likely to be sexually active when compared to adolescents whose parents reported less strict monitoring of their children’s behaviours during preadolescence (Longmore, Manning and Giordano, 2011).
- Giving birth to children out of wedlock: Teenage girls are less likely to be sexually active if their parents were married at the time of their birth. Adolescent females age 15 to 19 whose parents were married at the time of the adolescent’s birth were 42 percent less likely to report having engaged in sexual activity when compared to similar adolescents whose parents were cohabiting at the time of the adolescent’s birth and 26 percent less likely to report having engaged in sexual activity (Hogan, Sun and Cornwell, 2010).
- Single-parent socializing: Teenage boys whose mothers date more often and more quickly after a divorce are more likely to be sexually active. Among a sample of recently divorced mothers and their adolescent children, mothers’ dating behaviours (number of dating partners, frequency of dates, length of time began dating after divorce) were directly related to their son’s sexual activity. Sons whose divorced mothers dated often, had multiple dating partners, and dated soon after divorce were more likely to report having been involved in heavy petting or sexual intercourse (Witbeck, Simons and Kao, 2014).
- Parents’ attitudes: Teenagers who feel their parents strongly disapprove of their being sexually active are less likely to engage in premarital sex than their peers who did not perceive their parents’ strong disapproval (Carol and Ford, 2015).
- Family stability: On average, adolescents whose parents are divorced tend to have more sexual partners than peers who did not experience parental divorce. Adolescents whose mothers had a premarital pregnancy, adolescents whose mothers had divorced, adolescents whose mothers were married at a young age, and adolescents whose mothers expressed more accepting attitudes about teen sexual activity tended to report having had sex with more partners than their peers (Thorton and Camburn, 2007).
- Parental guidance: Adolescents whose parents talk with them about standards of sexual behaviour are more likely to be abstinent. Youths whose parents talked to them about what is right and wrong in sexual behaviour were significantly more likely to be abstinent than peers whose parents did not (Cheryl and Aspy, 2007).
Measures to minimize premarital sex among adolescents
According to Hogan (2014), measures to minimize premarital sex among adolescents include:
- Setting limits: Adolescents should always tell their partners (boy/girl friend) the limit they can go. They should desist from assuming thata girl wants to be caress or kissed whenever they are together. Girls should avoid wear tight clothes that will reveal their curves provocatively.
- Avoiding dwelling too much of sexual issues: Adolescent should deviate from dwelling too much on sexual issues such watching sexually provocative movies, reading books or novels that dwells too much on sex.
- Avoiding pitfalls when courting: During courtship, adolescents should try to avoid lonely times together for a long period of time. If it becomes too uncomfortable to be together, it is advisable to call off a date and rearrange for a further date in a more comfortable place where they will not be lonely.
- Let no be no: During courtship, adolescents should understand and stick to the policy of letting “no” be “no”. If there are certain behaviours that one of the partner is putting on that suggests the tendency to lead to premarital sex, it is advisable to strongly say no and stand by it.
- Avoiding alcohol: Adolescents should avoid the consumption of alcohol and the use of any other intoxicating substance as this has been reported that adolescents who engage in the consumption of alcohol and other intoxicating substances are prone to premarital sex.
- Health education: Adolescents should be health educated on the dangers associated with premarital sex and the need to avoid it as much as possible.
References
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