Sex education and premarital sexual behavior among American college students

Abstract

The relationship between participation in a sex education course in the public schools and premarital sexual behavior is studied using cross-sectional data from a national probability sample of 1177 male and female American college students interviewed in detail about their sexual behavior and sexual socialization experiences. There was no significant difference between the premarital heterosexual involvement of individuals who had attended a sex education course and those who had not. Furthermore, there were no differences between those who received information on birth control or coitus and those who did not. The implications of these findings for sex education programs are discussed and speculations about successful and unsuccessful programs are made.

PIP: The influence of formal sex education in the total sexual socialization process is studied through data from a cross-sectional national probability sampling of 1177 male and female American college students. There was no difference in the premarital heterosexual experinece of students who had received a formal sex education course in school and those who had not. Instruction in birth control or instruction about coitus made no difference in sex behavior either. Different teachers or courses during different school years also made no difference in subsequent premarital sexual behavior. It is concluded that the program of sex education in schools must be revised if it is to be effective. The courses must be taught by individuals who are respected by and who relate to students. The instructors must be specially trained to teach sex education. The program should begin in the early years of school and proceed through the school years, matching the sophistication of the material with that of the students. The course should be taught nonjudgmentally.