Moral Values and Coping Strategies among Female Adolescents Involved in Premarital Sex

Abstract

The number of adolescents involved in premarital sex has been increasing each year. This study intends to examine the relationship between Islamic moral values and the coping strategies among female adolescents involved in premarital sex. The participants in this study were 238 inmates from four government rehabilitation centres. Moral Values Inventory for Muslim Adolescences (MVIMA) and Coping Strategy Inventory were used in this study. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics. For inferential data, the Pearson Correlation was used. The findings of showed a significant relationship between coping strategies and moral values among adolescences involved in pre-marital sex. The results of this study suggest that female adolescents and their parents should receive sex education as an early measure to prevent premarital sex and the diseases related to it. Thus, this study emphasises the need to design prevention and rehabilitation programs for high-risk teenagers. Teenagers need to develop positive self-respect and self-esteem as well as coping strategy through assertive training. This study addresses the limitations of data collection from rehabilitation centres under the provision of Social Welfare Department. Thus, future study should include shelter homes for teenage pregnant girls run by the non-government organizations. Future studies should also include qualitative approaches to increase our understanding of premarital sex among teenage girls and help them develop positive coping strategies in the process of recovering.