Relationship between Family Cohesion and Teenage Sexual Behavior in Public Secondary Schools in Kajiado County, Kenya.

Submission Deadline-30th July 2024
June 2024 Issue : Publication Fee: 30$ USD Submit Now
Submission Deadline-20th July 2024
Special Issue of Education: Publication Fee: 30$ USD Submit Now

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue IX, September 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186

Relationship between Family Cohesion and Teenage Sexual Behavior in Public Secondary Schools in Kajiado County, Kenya.

Juliana Anyango Nyaguti1, Stephen Asatsa (PhD)2, Josephine Muthami (PhD)3
1,2Department of Psychology. The Catholic University of Eastern Africa
3Department of Psychology, the University of Nairobi

IJRISS Call for paper

Abstract: This research aimed at examining the relationship between family functioning and teenagers’ sexual behavioral patterns amongst students in public secondary schools in Kajiado West sub-county, Kajiado County, Kenya. The research used survey design with a target population of 6085 students from public secondary schools. Based on Yamane’s formula, the sample size of 375 students was selected by simple random sampling to participate in the study. Data were collected from this sample using standardized questionnaires; the Family Assessment Device (FAD) and the Adolescent Clinical Sexual Behavior Inventory (ACSBI-S). Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Independent t-Test and Correlation analysis. The findings indicated that there was statistically significant positive correlation between family cohesion and teenagers’ sexual behavior. Family cohesion had a positive correlation with sexual knowledge at r=.200; p-value= .000. Therefore an increase in family cohesion has a corresponding positive influence on the student sexual knowledge. Family cohesion on the other hand had a positive and significant correlation with sexual interests (r=0.135; p= 0.11). The findings imply that family cohesion could be used in regulating some of the sexual behavior domains of teenagers.

Key words: Family Cohesion, Sexual behavior, Sexual Interest

I. INTRODUCTION

Globally, the study of Teenage sexual behavior is a significant concern; Parents, religious leaders and society, in general, are equally concerned about this phenomenon. This is because of the implications of teenage sexual behavior on education and the health of teenagers. The adolescent stage among teenagers is a period of turmoil marked with enormous vibrancy, discovery, innovation and hope, and the time when many of them initiate sexual relationships and involvement (Kirby, 2012). According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC), 2016, about 16 million teenage girls globally aged 15-19 years and 2 million girls under 15 years give birth annually. Besides, statistics indicate that 41% of teenagers had ever had sexual intercourse, 30% had had sexual intercourse during the previous three months before the study. Of these, 43% did not use a condom, while 14% did not use any contraceptive the last time they had sex, only 10% of all students had ever been tested for HIV among U.S. high school students surveyed in 2015.