Journal of
Public Health and Epidemiology

  • Abbreviation: J. Public Health Epidemiol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2141-2316
  • DOI: 10.5897/JPHE
  • Start Year: 2009
  • Published Articles: 651

Article in Press

Parental influence and the sexual behaviour of adolescents in public secondary schools in Oyo State, Nigeria

Oluwatomi Owopetu Iken

  •  Received: 09 May 2019
  •  Accepted: 02 April 2020
Purpose Several studies outside the African continent have documented associations between the various forms of parental influence and adolescent sexual risk behaviour. This study was therefore conducted to identify the existing form(s) of parental influence and the prevalent/sexual behaviours among adolescents in public secondary schools in Nigeria and determine the association existing between the parental influence and sexual behaviours. Methods A comparative urban/ rural cross-sectional survey was conducted using a semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data was analysed using IBM SPSS version 19. Results The overall mean age of the adolescents was 15.51 ( ± 2.0) years. In general, the overall prevalence of maternal monitoring was 921 (84.1%). Overall, 1041 (95.1%) of the adolescents who resided with their mothers/female guardians had some sense of connectedness with their mothers/female guardians. Paternal monitoring and knowledge, parental exercise of control and parental disapproval of premarital sex were found not to predict the occurrence of sexual debut. Conclusion The study found strong associations between parental monitoring, knowledge, communication, control and premarital sex disapproval and the prevalence of sexual debut among the adolescents. All except parental disapproval of premarital sex were non- predictors of risky sexual behaviour among the adolescents.

Keywords: Family-connectedness, parental influence, adolescents.