Influence of discipline of study on the sexual behaviour of Nigerian female students.

In this comparative study of the sexual behaviour of 476 Nigerian female students in tertiary institutions comprising of 243 students of the medical discipline of study (MD group) and 233 students of the non-medical discipline of study (NMD group), the overall incidence of sexual intercourse was 56.7 percent. The mean age at first sexual experience was not significantly different at & = 0.05 among the two groups. However, sexual exposure was significantly more prevalent among students of the non-medical discipline of study (NMD group)--69.1 percents compared to those of the medical discipline of study (MD group)--44.9 percent (p < 0.01). In addition, the frequency of sexual exposure was significantly higher among the former group, 5.5 +/- 6.8 times per month, than in the later, 1.7 +/- 3.8 times per month (t = 5.25 with 274 d.f.; p < 0.005). The incidence of pregnancy among the two groups of students 37.1 percent and 31.2 percent respectively for the NMD and MD groups showed no significant difference at & = 0.05. The reasons for the observed difference in the sexual behaviour between the students for the two groups are adduced. The overall implications of sexuality and the relevance of its management among the youth are also discussed.