Die seksuele gedrag, kennis en houdings van die student in laat-adolessensie

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the sexual knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of a group of students in late-adolescence, with the long term goal of constructing a sexual education programme for them. According to the literature studies it is apparent that late-adolescents are more sexually active and have more liberal attitudes today than in the past. It also seems that they don't have sufficient sexual knowledge to make responsible and mature sexual decisions. Because of this, students in late-adolescence may involve themselves in irresponsible sexual behaviour which can lead to pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and emotional trauma. There were 561 subjects who participated in this study, of whom 315 were women, 243 men and 3 didn't respond. Specific attention was given to the sexual knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of the subjects. The subjects proved to have good knowledge concerning sexually transmitted diseases, physiology and contraceptives. It was also noted that they had more knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases than they had of physiology and contraceptives. In the light of their sexual attitudes, it was clear that most of the subjects believed that intercourse should take place in a marriage and not in a steady relationship, even if there is affection and commitment in the relationship. Furthermore, they were of the opinion that masturbation and sexual fantasies are permissible, however, they believed that exposure to pornographic material can be harmful. The subjects indicated that they believe that double standards between women and men still exist. With regard to the marketing and use of contraceptives before marriage the majority of the subjects were of the opinion that this should not be done. Most of the subjects reported a fair degree of intimacy in their relationships, while almost one third had already had premarital intercourse. In their sexual relationships the subjects proved to be not only recipients of sexual activities, but that they were also actively involved in the sexual act. The majority of the subjects reported furthermore

that they masturbated, had sexual fantasies, and had also been exposed to soft pornographic material. With regards to the use of contraceptives only 29,5 % of the sexually active subjects used contraceptives, which could increase the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancies. Symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases were reported by 35,6% of the respondents, while 4 % of them reported that they had already been pregnant or were responsible for a pregnancy. Therefore, according to the above information, it is clear that there is a necessity for a sexual education programme which will have a preventative role as well as a guiding function for the students who had already had sexually transmitted diseases and a therapeutic function for those who were pregnant. The programme should also aim at attitude changes with regard to the use of contraceptives, and focus on giving information concerning sexuality where needed and addressing irresponsible sexual behaviour. Christian values should also be incorporated in this programme, because the majority of the subjects reported that their Christian beliefs had a significant influence in their lives as well as in their sexual attitudes and behaviour.