Religiosity and Risky Sexual Behavior Among Adolescents in Sarawak, Malaysia

INTRODUCTION: Risky sexual behavior is defined as a behavior that increases one’s risk of contracting or being infected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and experiencing unintended pregnancies. This study examined the relationship between religiosity and risky sexual behavior among adolescents in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia.

METHODS: The inclusion criteria included 1,146 unmarried adolescents aged between 16 and 19 years, whereby they answered a validated self-administered questionnaire using the modified Religion Scale and Risky Sexual Behavior – Unsafe Sex Scale. The analysis was restricted to respondents who reported to have had sex.

RESULTS: Overall, the response rate recorded 95% (n=1,086), whereby the prevalence of respondents who reported that they have had sex was 9.5%, n=103 (71 males, 32 females, mean age 17.82). Descriptive results further showed that the prevalence of those who have had sex for male and female were 6.53% and 2.94%, respectively. The earliest sexual debut was revealed to be at 13 years of age. Moreover, bivariate analyses indicated a significant and negative correlation between religious practice and risky sexual behavior (r= -.23; p<.05).

CONCLUSION: The study revealed that religious adolescents are more likely to avoid risky sexual behavior. This means that religious practice may become a potential protective factor in influencing adolescents to avoid risky sexual behaviors.