Abstract
BackgroundCigarette/alcohol use and premarital sex, and their subsequent consequences on the well-being of college students, are international health promotion issues. However, little is known about the temporal relationship of these risk behaviors among Taiwanese college students.MethodsThis study utilizes data from the Taiwan Youth Project, a cohort sample of 20-year-olds (N = 2,119) with a 2-year follow-up, to explore the relationship between adolescent cigarette/alcohol use, and subsequent premarital sex. To incorporate the Taiwanese context where the normative value of abstinence until marriage remains strong, multivariate logistic regression models included data on premarital sex attitudes, stressful life events, peer influence, as well as family and individual factors which might influence this relationship.ResultsThe sample consists of 49% male and 51% female college students. About 16% of the sample report having had premarital sex by age 20. After excluding sexually active youth, 20% of males and 13% of females report engaging in premarital sex in the 2-year follow-up interview. Multivariate logistic regression analyses reveal adolescent alcohol use is significantly associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in premarital sex for both genders; adolescent smoking is significantly associated with premarital sexual activity among males, but not females. Our results indicate liberal premarital sexual attitudes and stressful personal events are also significantly associated with premarital sexual activity.ConclusionsThese findings suggest health promotion programs for college students need to take developmental and gender perspectives into account. Future research to incorporate a broader, multi-cultural context into risk reduction materials is recommended.
Highlights
Cigarette/alcohol use and premarital sex, and their subsequent consequences on the well-being of college students, are international health promotion issues
Using the Theory of Planned Behavior [13,14,15] and Social Learning Theory [16,17], this study explores the association between adolescent cigarette/alcohol use and premarital sex from a temporal perspective
Using longitudinal data from the Taiwan Youth Project, we address this research question: What is the relationship between adolescent cigarette/alcohol use and the likelihood of premarital sex during college, after controlling for premarital sex attitudes, peer influence, life and behavioral events, and family background? The analyses were conducted separately for male and female college youth, due to gender differences suggested by a wide range of existing literature [7,19]
Summary
Cigarette/alcohol use and premarital sex, and their subsequent consequences on the well-being of college students, are international health promotion issues. Little is known about the temporal relationship of these risk behaviors among Taiwanese college students Risky health behaviors such as cigarette/alcohol use, as well as the onset of sexual activity, are common from late adolescence to young adulthood in East Asian countries such as Taiwan. These behaviors increase an individual’s subsequent mental and physical health risks to some degree [1,2,3,4]. Studies indicate nearly one-quarter of male youth in Taiwan self-report cigarette use at least once by the end of high-school, and the smoking rate more than doubles to 48% by the end of college [5]. Social norms regarding premarital sex are apparently becoming more liberal in recent times
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