Mass media and the premarital sexual behaviour of the adolescents in Imo State, Nigeria

K. O. Nworgu

Abstract
The authors set to investigate the influence of the Mass Media on adolescents' knowledge of and behavior towards sex and sexuality, especially, regarding early sex, the use of contraceptives and condoms. The participants were drawn from five secondary schools in Owerri Municipality, the Capital of Imo State, Nigeria. The simple size included 100 respondents made up of males and females between the ages of 10 and 19 years drawn from simple random sampling. Questionnaire containing semi-structured (close-ended) questions. Interview sessions involving media workers form select radio, television and newspaper houses in Owerri were conducted. Three research questions and one hypothesis were used to straighten the study. Results showed the respondents mean age for first sex is 17.8 years. The findings show that the media did not have very significant influence at 0.05 on adolescents’ sexual behavior, especially, as regards, having first sex experience. This result is explained by the fact that most the respondents lived in boarding hostels and may not have access to media, while in school. It was recommended the influence of family members, including parents and peer groups should be given priority attention when adolescent sexual behavior is discussed, especially, in Nigeria where extended family members play a vital role in the socialization of the adolescents.

Keywords
Adolescent; Sex; Sexuality behavior; Mass media.

Resumo
Meios de comunicação de massa e comportamento sexual antes do casamento de adolescentes no Estado de Imo, Nigéria. O autor propõe a investigar a influência da mídia de massa no conhecimento e comportamento dos adolescentes em relação ao sexo e à sexualidade, especialmente em relação ao sexo precoce, ao uso de contraceptivos e preservativos. Os participantes foram selecionados de cinco escolas secundárias no Município de Owerri, capital do Estado de Imo, na Nigéria. O tamanho simples da amostra incluiu 100 entrevistados, constituídos por homens e mulheres com idades entre 10 e 19 anos, provenientes de amostragem aleatória simples. O questionário continha perguntas semiestruturadas (fechadas). Foram realizadas sessões de entrevistas envolvendo trabalhadores da mídia de algumas casas de rádio, televisão e jornal em Owerri. Três questões da pesquisa e uma hipótese foram usadas para direcionar o estudo. Os resultados mostraram que a idade média do primeiro sexo é de 17,8 anos. As descobertas mostram que a mídia não teve uma influência muito significativa de 0,05 no comportamento sexual dos adolescentes, especialmente no que diz respeito à experiência com o primeiro sexo. Este resultado é explicado pelo fato de que a maioria dos entrevistados morava em albergues e pode não ter acesso à mídia enquanto estava na escola. Foi recomendado que a influência dos membros da família, incluindo pais e grupos de casais, deveria receber atenção prioritária quando se discute o comportamento sexual dos adolescentes, especialmente na Nigéria, onde os membros da família estendida desempenham um papel vital na socialização dos adolescentes.

Palavras-chave
Adolescente; Sexo; Comportamento de sexualidade; Meios de comunicação em massa.

DOI
10.21438/rbgas(2020)071716

Texto completo
PDF

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