Factors associated with the premarital sex among adolescents and the need for introduction of functional sex-education in secondary schools in Ebonyi state, Nigeria

The rate of premarital sexual activities among adolescent students of secondary schools especially in developing nations like Nigeria is alarming and has continued to generate public attention. Many students have dropped out of school, while others have either become teenage parents or lost their lives owing to early and unintended pregnancy and complications arising from unsafe abortion. This study aims at examining the factors associated with premarital sexual activities among adolescent students in Ebonyi state. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study using unstructured in-depth interviews to collect data from 24 purposively selected respondents and analyzed thematically. Findings show that poverty, peer group influence, pornography, and desire for pleasure were some of the causes of premarital sex among students; while unintended pregnancy, abortion, poor academic performance, school dropout, and early marriage were identified as some of its consequences. The study recommended mass sensitization campaigns and the introduction of sex education as a remedy to the ugly practice. Social workers should be involved in enlightenment campaigns on the dangers associated with the lack of sex education, and premarital sex activities by the students. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.