Title: Relationship between self-esteem and risky sexual behaviour among secondary school students in Wakiso Town Council.
Authors: Boonabaana Caroline, Dr. Leon Mataagi, Tumuranzye Methodius
Volume: 8
Issue: 10
Pages: 3-15
Publication Date: 2024/10/28
Abstract:
The study examined the relationship between self-esteem and risky sexual behaviour among secondary school students in Wakiso town council. Therefore, by employing a cross-sectional correlational methodology encompassing 208 purposefully selected participants responding to meticulously designed self-administered surveys, this study hopes to unveil hidden intricacies and illuminate obscured connections pertaining to how fluctuations in self-worth may cascade into variations in protective decision-making concerning sexually hazardous conduct. Reliability testing fortifies the instruments' capability to precisely quantify self-esteem magnitudes and quantify levels of risky sexual involvement. Subsequent bivariate correlation and multivariate regression scrutiny strives to discern whether ebbs and flows in self-esteem scores associate with surges and lulls in susceptibility to potentially perilous sexual acts after accounting for salient demographic factors. A total of 208 adolescent students responded to self-administered questionnaire and data were entered into and analysed using SPSS (v22.0). The hypotheses were tested using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and regression analysis. Results revealed that there was a negative significant relationship between self-esteem and risky sexual behaviour (r= -.73**, p < 0.01). Results also revealed that there was a positive significant relationship between self-esteem and academic achievement (r = .42**, p < .01). The multiple linear regression reveals a significant negative association between self-esteem and the outcome variable (-0.27, p=0.031), meaning higher self-esteem reduces adverse outcomes. Risky sexual behavior positively correlates with the outcome (0.18, p=0.049), increasing vulnerability. The constant's significance (0.52, p<0.001) indicates a baseline risk above zero. These findings suggest self-esteem acts as a protective factor against negative consequences, while risky sexual behavior exacerbates them. Thus, self-esteem independently associates with decreased vulnerability, and risky behavior exacerbates risk, suggesting targeted interventions emphasizing self-worth enhancement could prove impactful for reducing health threats by bolstering protective instincts against compromising decisions. It was recommended that attempts to improve the academic performance of students should focus on improving students' self-esteem and controlling their engagement in risky sexual behaviour. Educationists therefore are required to help students build their self-esteem by providing continuous guidance and counselling as this could help them link their theoretical conceptions to the practical considerations.