Abstract
With emerging westernization, there is growing concern about sexual promiscuity and changing attitudes toward sexuality. A questionnaire was administered to 182 adolescents from the city of Mumbai in the age group of 17–21 years in order to examine their knowledge about crucial aspects of sexuality and their source of sex related information. The survey also accessed attitudes regarding sex education, premarital sex and homosexuality, as well as sexual behaviors engaged in by the youth. Results showed that sexual knowledge about physiology of sexual response, conception, and pregnancy was less than other areas such as masturbation and contraception. Peers, books, and magazines were the most frequently used source of sex information. Boys reported more liberal attitudes and more frequent sexual behaviors than girls. Implications of the results in terms of access to accurate information, communication about sexual issues, and health policy reforms are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Banerji, R. (2008). Sex and power: Defining history, shaping societies. India: Penguin Books.
Christensen, H. T., & Johnson, L. B. (1978). Premarital coitus and the Southern Black: a comparative view. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 40, 721–731.
DeLamater, J., & MacCorquodale, P. (1979). Premarital sexuality: Attitudes, relationships, behavior. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press.
Earle, J. R., Perricone, P. J., Davidon, K. J., Moore, N. B., Harris, C. T., & Cotton, S. R. (2007). Premarital sexual attitudes and behaviors at a religiously affiliated university. Sexuality and Culture, 11, 39–61.
Eastman, W. F. (1972). First intercourse. Sexual Behavior, 2, 22–27.
Gangakhedkar, R. R., Bentley, M. E., Divekar, A. D., Gadkari, D., Mehendale, S. M., Shepherd, M. E., et al. (1997). Spread of HIV infection in married monogamous women in India. Journal of the American Medical Association, 278, 2090–2092.
Gribbin, J., & Cherfas, J. (2001). The mating game: In search of the meaning of sex. London: Penguin.
Gupta, G. R. (2002). How men’s power over women fuels the HIV epidemic. British Medical Journal, 324, 183–184.
Herek, G. M. (2004). Beyond “homophobia”: thinking about sexual prejudice and stigma in the twenty-first century. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 1, 6–24.
Hidlin, M. J. (2009). Premarital romantic partnerships: attitudes and sexual experiences of youth in Delhi, India. International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 35, 97–104.
Hurlock, E. B. (1967). Adolescent development (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw Hill Book Company.
Jeejeebhoy, S. J. (1994). Adolescent sexual and reproductive behavior: A review of evidence from India. Unpublished report. Mumbai.
Kakar, S., & Chaudhary, K. (1970). Conflict and choice: Indian youth in a changing society. Bombay: Somaiya Publication Private LTD.
Kinsey, A. C. (1948). Sexual behavior in the human male. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.
Kirby, D. (1997). No Easy answers: Research findings on programs to reduce teen pregnancy. Washington DC: The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
Laumann, E., Gagnon, J. H., Michael, R. T., & Michaels, S. (1994). The social organization of sexuality: Sexual practices in the United States. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Loewenstein, G., & Furstenberg, F. (1991). Is teenage sexual behavior rational? Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 21, 957–986.
Mahajan, P., & Sharma, N. (2005). Parents attitude towards imparting sex education to their adolescent girls. Anthropologist, 7, 197–199.
Nag, R. N. (1982). Adolescents in India. Calcutta: Medical Allied Agency.
Pinkerton, S. T., Bogart, L. M., Cecil, H., & Abramson, P. R. (2002). Factors associated with masturbation in collegiate sample. Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 14, 103–121.
Rees, M. (1993). Menarche when and why. Lancet, 342, 1375–1376.
Reinisch, J. M. et al. (1992). High-risk sexual behavior among heterosexual undergraduates at a Midwestern university. Family Planning Perspectives, 24, 116–121.
Reiss, I. L. (1967). The social context of premarital sexual permissiveness. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.
Sathe, A. G., & Sathe, S. (2005). Knowledge, behavior, and attitudes about sexuality amongst adolescents in Pune: a situational study. Journal of Family Welfare, 51, 49–59.
Savara, M., & Sridhar, C. R. (1996). Sexuality: differing perspective survey in Maharashtra. The Radical Journal of Health (New Series), 11, 133–139.
Senderowitz, J. (1995). Adolecent health: Reaccessing the passage to adulthood. Washington DC: The World Bank.
Siegel, D. M., Klein, D. I., & Roghmann, K. J. (1999). Sexual behavior, contraception, and risk taking among college students. Journal of Adolescent Sexual Health, 25, 336–343.
Simon, W., & Gagnon, J. H. (1984). Sexual scripts. Society, 22, 53–60.
Sivaram, S., Johnson, S., Bentley, M. E., Go, V. F., Latkin, C., Srikrishnan, A. K., et al. (2005). Sexual health promotion in Chennai, India: key role of communication among social networks. Health Promotion International, 20, 327–333.
Strasburger, V. C., & Brown, R. T. (1998). Adolescent sexuality and health-related problems. In V. C. Strausburg & R. T. Brown (Eds.), Adolescent medicine: A practical guide. Philadelphia: Lipincott-Raven.
Subramaniam, T., & Jha, S. S. (1981). Knowledge and attitudes to human sexuality among female college teachers in Bombay. The Journal of Family Welfare: Personal, Marital and Sociological, 28, 19–25.
Times News Network (2009). Only 5 in 1000 teens depend on parents for sex education. Times of India. Retieved from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Only-5-in-1000-teens-depend-on-parents-for-sex-edu-Study/articleshow/5158165.cms, October 25.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my advisors from St. Xaviers College, Mumbai, Ruby Pavri and Maureen Almeida for their help in designing the study. I would also like to acknowledge the contributions of the reviewers for their valuable inputs on the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Joshi, P.D. Indian Adolescent Sexuality: Sexual Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Among Urban Youth. Psychol Stud 55, 181–187 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-010-0018-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-010-0018-1