Factors affecting parental attitude towards sex education as perceived by married adults in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated factors affecting parental attitude towards sex education as perceived by married adults in Lagos state, Nigeria used a descriptive survey research design. A sample of 400 married adults participated in this study. A questionnaire tagged “Factors Affecting Parental Attitude towards Sex Education Questionnaire” (FAPSEQ) with a reliability of 0.72 was used to collect the data for this study. The data collected were analysed using mean and ranking order to answer the research question while t-test and ANOVA statistical methods were used to test the formulated hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level. The findings of the study revealed that married adults in Lagos State perceived that discussing sex with children encouraged children to engage in sexual activity; they felt uncomfortable discussing sexual topics with their children; and discussing sex with children damaged parents-relationship as some of the factors affecting parental attitude towards sex education. Also, findings revealed that there were no significant differences in the factors affecting parental attitude towards sex education based on gender and age but significant differences were found based on occupation (F=3.05, p<0.05) and tribe (F=12.38, p<0.05). Based on the findings, it was recommended that counsellors provide married adults with appropriate resources, guidance, or support systems that could equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary to have open and productive conversations about sex with their children or traditional and religious roles could be in play.