Factors responsible for premarital sex among Adventist adolescents and young adults at Muluse

Abstract

There have been rumors of sexual misconduct among Adventist youths who attended camps at Muluse in Zambia. Nonetheless, no study was done to verify the validity these concerns. Therefore, this study was undertaken to ascertain the prevalence and the causes of premarital sex among Adventist adolescents and young adults at Muluse. The data used for the study was drawn from 275 respondents, aged 11-24, randomly selected during a national youth camp held at Muluse. The study indicated that over two thirds (65.5 percent) of respondents were sexually active and had engaged into premarital coitus at the time of the study. Besides, 7 out of every 10 youths were at risk to HIV/AIDS due to unprotected sex. Peer pressure (67.2 percent) was the major driver for premarital sex. The media, cited by 21.1 percent of respondents emerged as a critical factor in fidelity choices while only 9.8 percent of females and 8.4 percent of males cited romantic books as a cause for sexual misconduct.The study identified the critical need for Church leaders to involve parents in the psycho sexual development of youths. Besides, a model program (YHC) was developed to promote positive behavior change among youths; more than 1500 youths were reached through this program.