Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21857/yk3jwhp079
Attitudes of adolescents and their parents to early sexual experience
Ina Stašević
orcid.org/0000-0002-7868-8365
; Catholic University of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia
Nina Drljević
orcid.org/0009-0009-3946-5407
; Rijeka Medical School, Rijeka, Croatia
Darma Katava
orcid.org/0009-0004-1535-3092
; Faculty of Speech and Language Pathology, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Barbara Ebling
; Faculty of Dental Medicine and Health, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
Darko Ropac
orcid.org/0000-0002-9805-3869
; Catholic University of Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Medical School in Rijeka. 75 students between the third and the fifth grade of the mentioned school and 75 of their parents partook in the study. The survey method was used in the research in order to gain insight into the respondents' attitudes to early sexual experience. Objective: The objective of the paper is to compare the attitudes of parents and their children regarding early sexual intercourse and to what extent their religiosity influences these attitudes. Results: Compared to male parents, women agree considerably more with the statement that sexual experience before the age of 17 is premature (p<0.001); parents between the ages of 45 and 54 statistically relevantly do not consider it necessary to provide counselling and preventive programs for adolescents (p<0.001). The relationship between active religiosity of the parents and the attitude to entering into sexual relations before the age of 17 was determined (p=0.007). Male students consider encouraging open parental communication on sexual issues to be less important than female students do (p=0.037), and agree more with the statement that it is okay to have sex for one night only (p=0.036). The connection between the feeling of active religiosity in students was determined in relation to the attitude to the presence of risk when entering sexual relations (p=0.018), as well as was the attitude to the necessity of sexual relations in order to keep a partner (p=0.013), and the attitude to the harmful influence of early initiation into sexual relations and frequently changing partners on reproductive health (p=0.020). Conclusion: Compared to adolescents, parents have a more negative attitude to entering into sexual relations before the age of 17, towards sexual relations for one night only, and emphasize considerably more the harmful impact of early entering into sexual relations and frequent changes of partners on reproductive health. They also emphasize the need to educate young people about sexually transmitted diseases. The restrictive influence of religiosity, among students and their parents, in relation to early sexual activity was determined as well.
Keywords
adolescents; parents; early sexual experience; religious beliefs
Hrčak ID:
343050
URI
Publication date:
30.12.2025.
Visits: 443 *