Abstract
BackgroundIn recent years, the number of adolescents engaging in premarital sex has increased, and an increasing number of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) cases have been reported in China. Many studies have indicated that CSA has a well-established association with risky sexual activities. However, only a limited number of studies have explored possible reasons for this association among middle school students, a population that may engage in premarital sex, which is critical for the development of interventions to prevent risky sexual behavior. Based on random samples of middle school students from a Chinese city, this article investigated the relationship between CSA and students’ premarital sexual permissiveness (PSP).MethodsIn a cross-sectional study conducted between 2016 and 2017 in Luzhou, China, 2292 middle school and high school students aged 12–18 years were recruited by multistage random sampling. All students were administered anonymous questionnaires. Multiple linear regression and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to analyze the relationship between CSA and PSP.ResultsThe prevalence of CSA was 15.4% (354/2292; 95% CI: 14–16.9%). A higher percentage of male respondents (18.2%) than female respondents (12.9%) had experienced CSA. A positive association between CSA and PSP was found among students. Respondents who had suffered CSA exhibited greater PSP, and this relationship was observed in the male sample, female sample and the total student sample in Luzhou (β = − 3.76, P < 0.05; β = − 2.79, P < 0.05; and β = − 2.84, P < 0.05, respectively). Respondents who had suffered CSA were also more likely to express a double standard about premarital sex (odds ratio [OR] =1.41, P < 0.05), especially among male students (odds ratio [OR] =1.63, P < 0.05).ConclusionsSex differences in CSA and the relationship between CSA and PSP were significant among this large sample of middle school students in Luzhou (China). The findings suggest that experiencing CSA may be closely related to youth attitudes toward premarital sex, especially among males. Therefore, it is important to emphasize the prevention of CSA and provide adolescent reproductive health programs to reduce the impact of CSA on sexual cognition and attitude, prevent premarital sex and promote positive attitudes toward sexual equality for middle school students.
Highlights
In recent years, the number of adolescents engaging in premarital sex has increased, and an increasing number of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) cases have been reported in China
Premarital sexual permissiveness The t test and variance analysis show significant differences in premarital sexual permissiveness (PSP) according to sex, grade, place of residence, self-reported economic status, onechild family status of the respondents, education level of the father and mother, a history of dating or falling in love with somebody, approval from friends and parents regarding premarital sex, a history of exposure to pornographic content on electronic media and experience of CSA
The following students were more permissive: students who resided in rural areas, had lower self-reported economic status, were members of one-child families, had previously dated or fallen in love with somebody, had friends and parents who approved of premarital sex, had previously been exposed to pornographic content on electronic media or had ever experienced CSA (Table 2)
Summary
The number of adolescents engaging in premarital sex has increased, and an increasing number of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) cases have been reported in China. Only a limited number of studies have explored possible reasons for this association among middle school students, a population that may engage in premarital sex, which is critical for the development of interventions to prevent risky sexual behavior. In the last three decades, young people’s attitudes toward premarital sex in China have changed substantially, shifting from conservative to open. This phenomenon is highly related to the increased influence of Western culture after economic reform and opening up, the implementation of policies on late marriage and late childbearing in China, and early puberty in the general population. Seventyseven percent of newly diagnosed HIV/AIDS patients in China were students from colleges and universities, and the main transmission route was sexual contact [9]
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