Premarital Sex and Its Associated Factors

Among many people, sexual intercourse is considered an important component of marital life. It helps couples in the midst of an intense emotional and mental relationship to develop trust and intimacy with each other. Despite this, it is important to understand that the practice of premarital sex can lead to serious health problems and complications.

In some religious traditions, sex before marriage is considered a sin; in others it is a moral issue that is taboo. In some cases, sex before marriage is seen as a sign of adultery or homosexuality.

The Bible, however, does not contain any references to sex before marriage. Nevertheless, it is common in some cultures to have sexual relations before marriage. This is largely due to the fact that in some cultures, marriage is a sex-based union that involves sexual intercourse between the couple.

Christians generally take a less permissive view about dating and sex than do religiously unaffiliated Americans. However, a recent Pew Research Center survey found that six-in-ten Catholics and half of Protestants in historically Black traditions say it is sometimes or always acceptable to have casual sex without being married.

Some studies indicate that sex before marriage has been increasing in the United States over the past several decades. Some of these trends may be explained by a rise in the average marriage age.

Other factors that are associated with early sex include adolescent attitudes, beliefs, values, skills and intentions. These factors are often influenced by cultural, socioeconomic, and educational background. Teens who are highly influenced by their families’ attitudes toward sex are more likely to have sex before marriage.

Adolescents are at a high risk of developing sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) and HIV. This is due to their lack of protective barriers such as condoms and the presence of sex workers in their social networks. Commercial sex workers also serve as important bridging groups in the transmission of STIs and HIV to wider sexual networks.

This study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of premarital sex and its associated factors among Debretabor high school youths. It was conducted using a cross-sectional questionnaire.

Results showed that among the respondents, 22.5% of the students had experienced premarital sex during their education. Most of them were males. Most of them had their first experience at the age of 15-19 years.

They were mostly prompted by their feelings for their partners to start sexual intercourse. They also had to be aware of the risks that come with sex before marriage including sexual violence, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV.

Among the variables that were associated with premarital sex, the most significant one was having pocket money (AOR = 3, 95% CI 1.9, 4.8). This is because, adolescent students who have pocket money are more likely to have sex before they get married because they are more likely to buy pornography films and drink alcohol. This is similar to the findings from Arba Minch [24] and Jimma [19].

In addition to sex before marriage, adolescents are also at risk of other types of sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV. Moreover, young men who are exposed to sex before they get married are at risk of becoming victims of rape. This is especially true in college environments.