Sex Education and Counselling: Insights from a Survey of the Influence of University Students’ Attitudes toward Sexually Transmitted Infections on Their Attitudes toward Sex
[1]
Ime N. George, Department of Educational Foundations, Guidance and Counselling, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
[2]
Nsisong A. Udoh, Department of Educational Foundations, Guidance and Counselling, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
Attitude is a core construct in human behavior and therefore may be regarded as a window to predicting and understanding human behavior. This study examined the pattern of the influence of students’ attitudes towards sexually transmitted infections on their attitudes towards sex. The researchers were inspired by concerns over the rising involvement of youths in sexual activism even though they are well aware of the prevalence and consequences of sexually transmitted infections. The question this study answered therefore was: How does the attitude of students towards sexually transmitted infections influence their attitude towards sex? The study utilized data from a larger survey on psychosocial variables and students’ sexual attitudes to answer this research question. Analysis of the data showed that students with negative attitudes to sexually transmitted infections exhibited permissive attitudes towards sex while those who had a more reserved and positive attitude towards sex were those with more positive attitudes towards sexually transmitted infections. Based on this finding, the researchers proffered approaches in sexuality education and counseling that may be utilized to correct this trend.
Sex Education, Counseling; Sexually Transmitted Infections, Attitude towards Sex, University Students
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