Eliciting social cultural predictors of risky sexual behaviour among adolescents and young adults in Nigeria

Abstract

The thrust of this paper was to elicit socio-cultural predictors of risky sexual behavior among adolescents and young adults in Nigeria. Socio-cultural parameters were seen to be those factors in the social environment that influences behavior. The socio-cultural theory holds that people learn through interactions within the socio-cultural environment. Such interactions include the home (parental influence, social/economic status of family), peers and culture (religious practices, age norms, and gender issues). This paper further examines these factors and how they predict risky sexual behavior such as early marriage, non-utilization of contraception, early sex initiation, induced abortions, having multiple sex partners, sex under the influence of alcohol, and indulging in sex for financial and material gains, among adolescents and young adults in Nigeria. It was therefore concluded that the socio-cultural environment is a strong predictor of adolescent and young adult sexual risk behavior in Nigeria. Thus, it is recommended that social/cultural environment should be shaped for optimum reproductive health behavior among adolescents and young adults in Nigeria.