Scheduled for Poster Session: The Study and Assessment of Activity and Performance Across Disciplines, Friday, April 11, 2008, 8:45 AM - 10:15 AM, Convention Center: Exhibit Hall, Reseach Consortium Poster Sessions


Impact of Personal and Organizational Religiosity on Sexual Behavior

Michael E. Young, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, Tina M. Penhollow, Florida Atlantic University, Davie, FL and George S. Denny, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR

The purpose of the study was to determine the degree to which measures of personal religiosity and the influence of religious organizations were predictive of sexual behaviors among college students. Understanding how religiosity and religious organizations together and separately influence sexual behavior may be of value in developing effective programs aimed at reducing sexual risk-taking among young adults. Participants in the study were students enrolled in college health classes. Students voluntarily completed a questionnaire in their regular classroom setting. The questionnaire included religiosity items, items dealing with the influence of religious organization on personal values and behavior, and items dealing with sexual behavior. Data were collected from 584 single, heterosexual students, under age 26. Females comprised 66.3% of the sample, whites 85.56%. Data were analyzed using frequency counts, confirmatory factor analysis and logistic regression. The clear majority of students reported participation (ever) in sexual intercourse (72%), giving oral sex (70.9%), and receiving oral sex (76.7%), with a smaller number of students reporting participation in anal intercourse (15.4%). Factor analysis confirmed the existence of a single religiosity factor, which represented three of Glock's five dimensions of religiosity. All items loaded at .697 or above. Cronbach's alpha was .811. Religious organization influence was scored “yes” or “no”; “yes” if the student indicated that he/she: was a member of a church or religious organization, strongly agreed that the organization greatly influenced his/her values and behavior, and indicated that the message the organization gives its members about sexual behavior was a person should not engage in sex outside of marriage. Otherwise this variable was scored “no.” Logistic regression was conducted to determine whether a set of three predictor variables: religiosity, religious organization influence, and the interaction between these two variables were predictive of sexual behaviors. Results for females indicated that the set of predictors was statistically significant for eight of the nine behaviors studied (all except anal sex in the last month), with the religiosity factor making a unique contribution in all eight instances and the interaction between religiosity and organizational influence making a unique contribution for two behaviors (sexual intercourse – ever, and in last month). The amount of variation for which the predictor variables accounted was modest (a high of 14.3%). Results for males indicated the set of predictor variables was not predictive of any of the nine behaviors. Results should be considered by campus sexuality educators designing programs to reduce sexual risk-taking.


Keyword(s): college level issues, health education college/univ, research

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