Adolescents’ contraceptive knowledge and attitudes towards premarital sex

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the relationship between adolescents’ contraceptive knowledge and their attitudes toward premarital sex among senior high school students in the Asante Akim North District of Ghana. The study employed the explanatory sequential mixed method. A sample of 361 final-year students were sampled from two senior high schools in the Asante Akim North District for the study. Questionnaire and interview guide were used in data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the quantitative data whereas thematic analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The study found that adolescents have a high level of knowledge in the three contraceptive types identified whereas attitudes towards premarital sex was generally negative. A statistically significant negative relationship was found between knowledge of modern contraceptives and attitudes towards premarital sex. There was no statistically significant relationship between natural contraceptives and attitudes towards premarital sex whiles a positive significant relationship was found to exist between knowledge of emergency contraceptives and attitudes towards premarital sex. Also, no significant difference was found in the attitudes of those with knowledge of modern, natural, and emergency contraceptives. The study recommends that counsellors and educators educate students on contraceptives with an emphasis on its usage and side effects to equip them with enough information to prevent unwanted pregnancies.