Risky Sexual Behaviour among New Undergraduate Students in Nigeria: Roles of Broken Homes and Socio-Demographic Characteristics

Abstract

The role of broken homes and social-demographic characteristics as determinants of risky sexual behaviour among young people, particularly new students of higher institutions in Nigeria have not received the much-needed attention. In this light, this study examines risky sexual behaviour among new undergraduate students in Nigeria, with a particular focus on broken homes and the socio-demographic characteristics. Two hundred and thirty-five (235) new undergraduate students of Nasarawa State University, Keffi were included in this study. Of these, 128 (54.5%) were male and 107 (45.5%) were female. In this study, a cross-sectional survey design was used. For the study, three (3) hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance of which results shows that broken homes significantly and positively predicted risky sexual behaviour (β = -.323, t = -2.967; p<.01). Broken households positively contributed to 31.3% of the difference in risky sexual behaviour, according to the observation of beta weight. Additionally, the findings showed that age, gender, and broken households all independently and collectively predicted risky sexual behaviour [R =.427 and R2 =.182, F (3, 79) = 5.876; p.01]. The final finding asserts that religion had no discernible influence on risky sexual behaviour [F (1, 83) =.000; p>.05]. While the study concluded that among the new undergraduate students in Nigeria, a broken home was a strong predictor of risky sexual conduct. In light of this, the study advocated stepping up efforts to deter dangerous sexual behaviour through strong laws and policies, and by extension, identifying students who exhibit symptoms suggestive of dysfunctional upbringing for treatment