Early sexual behaviours and implications the case of public senior high schools in Assin South District, Ghana

Abstract

The focus of this study was to explore early sexual behaviours among Senior High School students in Assin South District. The study employed the convergent or concurrent mixed method design. The population of interest in this study comprised Senior High School (SHS) students, teenage parents who dropped out of school at the SHS level, parents of SHS teenagers and school counsellors in Assin South District. Using purposive, proportionate stratified and systematic sampling techniques 318 respondents in the Assin South District were selected for the study. Questionnaire and Interview guide were the main instrument employed in data collection. Expert reviews and the pre-test of instrument were used to ensure validity of the instrument. The reliability of the instrument, in terms of internal consistency, was ascertained using Cronbach's Coefficient Alpha test. The individual scales had coefficients beyond 0.7, suggesting appropriateness. Data collected were analysed descriptively and thematically. The study revealed that the influx of exposure to pornographic pictures and videos in the community arouses the sexual interest of students hence the edge to practice (put into action) the scenes portrayed in the pornographic videos. The issue of poverty, lack of access to education, healthcare, and resources, lack parental support, communication, or supervision and peer influence within the socio-cultural milieu cannot be relegated to the background. In addition, failure to control the excesses from these factors above resulted in some consequences. These include teenage pregnancy, truancy and school dropout as well as contraction of STIs. Factors such as personal values, fear of getting pregnant, fear of contracting STIs as well as the desire for academic achievement were some reasons shared by sexually not active students to help them abstain from sexual activities. It was recommended that teachers and school counsellors should create awareness on sexual behaviours and how to handle such biological instincts when the need be. This will expose students to different ways through which when such tendency and feelings occur, they can adequately manage it to its barest minimum rather than engaging in sexual intercourse and other sexually related activities.