Sexual Promiscuity among Female Undergraduates in Public Universities: Understanding the Predisposing Roles of Religious and Educational Trajectories

Abstract

This study examined the predisposing role of religious and educational trajectories on sexual promiscuity among female undergraduates in public universities in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Two research questions were answered in the study and two null hypotheses tested at .05 level of significance. The study adopted a correlational research design. The population of the study comprised 22,717 female undergraduates in the two government-owned Universities in the state from which a sample of 1,136 was drawn to participate in the study using a multi-stage sampling procedure. A researcher-developed instrument titled Socio-Personal Variables and Predisposition to Sexual Promiscuity of Female Undergraduates Questionnaire (SPVPSPFUQ)” with a reliability of coefficient of 0.79 Cronbach’s Alpha was used for data collection. Data generated from the field were analyzed using R-value and R² - value to answer the research questions while Simple and Multiple Linear Regression statistics was used to test the hypotheses. The study findings revealed that religiosity and educational aspiration significantly predisposed female undergraduates to sexual promiscuity in public universities in the study area. Based on these findings, it was recommended, among others, the employment of more professional counsellors in tertiary institutions to enable the smooth running of counseling services to support students’ sexual adjustment