PERCEPTION, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF CO-HABITATION AMONG STUDENTS OF THE POLYTECHNIC IBADAN, NIGERIA

Abstract

A revolution in sexual values has led to the emergence of co-habitation among unmarried youths in many Nigerian communities. Co-habitation has been observed as a predisposing factor to the initiation of premarital sexual activities among students of tertiary institutions. The sexuality and reproductive health practices of youths are of public health importance. Previous studies on co-habitation have focused mostly on marriage instability with limited focus on perception, attitude and practice of co -habitation in tertiary institutions. Hence, this study was carried out to assess the perception, attitude and practice of co-habitation among students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional study design using a two stage sampling technique was used to select 16 out of 32 departments and 410 out of 8407 students from all five faculties. Students were stratified into females and males, 168 females out of 3423 and 242 males out of 4984 from the departments were selected proportionately. A self-administered questionnaire was used to elicit information on respondents' socio-demographic characteristics, perception, attitude and practice of co-habitation. Perception was measured on a 30-point scale; scores of ≤14 and >14 were categorised as negative and positive, respectively. Attitude towards co-habitation was measured on a 30 point scale; scores ≤14 were categorised as "negative attitude" and >14 as ”positive attitude". in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted among four Male and four female participants using an IDI guide. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square at p= 0.05. Qualitative data were analysed thematically. Respondents' age was 21.8±3.0 years and 59.3% were males. Thirty-eight percent of respondents reported sexual relationship as the main reason for co-habitation. Majority (82.0%) had positive perception (20.1±5.0) towards co-habitation. Also 89.3% had positive attitude (21.0±4.5} towards co-habitation. About a quarter (23.2%) had ever practiced co-habitation 34.6% reported that their friends were cohabiting while 11.6% were in co-habiting relationships at the time of the study. Reported consequences of co-habitation included unwanted pregnancy (92.0%), abortion (92.0%), sexually transmitted infections (88.8%) and teen childbearing (88.0%). Majority (87.3%) of the respondent’s reported that they would not recommend co-habitation to anyone, Factors promoting co-habitation included peer influence (72.2%). high cost of living on campus (68.5%), being romantic relationship (67.1%) and desire for sex on a regular basis (66.6%). Positive perception of the effect of co-habitation was reported by 72.2% of respondents while 83.9% reported that premarital sex is paramount in a co-habitating relationship. There was a significant association between perception of co-habitation and respondents' sex, with more males (56.5%) having a positive perception. Age of respondents was significantly associated with the practice of co-habitation. Majority of the in-depth interviewees reported that cohabitation gives room to test compatibility before marriage, satisfy sexual urge, and to avoid having multiple sexual partners. The Polytechnic lbadan students had positive perception of, and attitude to co-habitation. Peer influence was a major factor promoting respondents' practice of cohabitation despite the perceived consequences that pose threat to their health. Peer education programme within tertiary institutions is recommended to educate students on sex and family life issues.