Influence of discipline of study on the sexual behaviour of Nigerian female students

Abstract

In this comparative study of the sexual behaviour of 476 Nigerian female students in tertiary institutions comprising of 243 students of the medical discipline of study (MD group) and 233 students of the non-medical discipline of study (NMD group), the overall incidence of sexual intercourse was 56.7 percent. The mean age at first sexual experience was not significantly different at & = 0.05 among the two groups. However, sexual exposure was significantly more prevalent among students of the non-medical discipline of study (NMD group)--69.1 percents compared to those of the medical discipline of study (MD group)--44.9 percent (p < 0.01). In addition, the frequency of sexual exposure was significantly higher among the former group, 5.5 +/- 6.8 times per month, than in the later, 1.7 +/- 3.8 times per month (t = 5.25 with 274 d.f.; p < 0.005). The incidence of pregnancy among the two groups of students 37.1 percent and 31.2 percent respectively for the NMD and MD groups showed no significant difference at & = 0.05. The reasons for the observed difference in the sexual behaviour between the students for the two groups are adduced. The overall implications of sexuality and the relevance of its management among the youth are also discussed.

PIP: Findings are presented from a comparative study of the sexual behavior of 476 Nigerian female students in tertiary institutions in 1991 in Anambra State, Nigeria, 243 medical (MD) students and 233 nonmedical (NMD) students. The women were 10-42 years old, of mean age 22.2 years, with 83.5% of MD students and 73.0% of NMD students aged 20-29. 56.7% of the women had ever experienced sexual intercourse. The mean age at first sexual experience among the MD students was 18.6 years, not significantly different statistically from the 18.1 years mean age of the NMD students at first sexual experience. 44.9% of the MD students and 69.1% of the NMD students had ever had sexual intercourse. MD students had sex 1.7 +or- 3.8 times/month, compared to the NMD students who had sex 5.5 +or- 6.8 times/month. The frequency of pregnancy was 31.2% among the MD students, not significantly different than the 37.9% among NMD students. These findings suggest that study has a tempering effect upon adolescent sexual activity.