THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SELF-IDENTITY, SELF-ESTEEM AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS SEXUAL BEHAVIOR IN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Purpose It has been reported that the young people of today tend to engage in sexual behavior at an early age and the abortion rate is high. The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of post-adolescents with regard to sexual behaviors and the relationship to self-identity and self-esteem.<br/>Methods The subjects were 234 males (mean±SD 20.2±1.1 years) and 460 females (mean± SD 19.5±1.1 years) 4-year university students aged 18 to 23 years in Aichi Prefecture. An anonymous, self-report questionnaire was used to survey the subjects with regard to self-identity (“Establishment of Self” scale), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), and sexual attitude and behavior. The scores on both scales and subscales of the “Establishment of Self” scale, “Foundation of Identity (Foundation)” and “Establishment of Identity (Establishment)”, were calculated and intercompared, along with sexual attitude and behavior, controlled for age and school type.<br/>Results The mean total score of the “Establishment of Self” scale for males was 55.3(SD9.2) and for females 52.2(SD9.3), while those for the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were 27.2(SD5.5) and 25.7(SD5.2), respectively. There was significant positive correlation all scales in both sexes.<br/> Both male and female students had positive attitude towards sex and a negative view of “traditional gender roles” particularly females. Of the subjects, 82.4% of males and 69.5% of females were thinking of accepting a request for sexual intercourse from their partners. Many students understood the “need for contraception”, that is a component of contraceptive behavior. Most of them, however, didn't acquire the other components. A total of 68.3% of males and 48.2% of females had experienced sexual intercourse during the last year. Of these, 50.6% of males and 58.2% of females consistently used contraception.<br/> The score on the “Establishment of Self” scale was higher among both the male and female students who responded positively to having “communication ability,” “learning ability,” and “acquisition ability.” Significant differences were found in total and “Establishment” scales among males, and all scales among females. The score on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale was significantly higher with “learning ability” among males, and with “communication ability” and “learning ability” among females. However, no significant relationship was found between actual contraceptive behavior and any of the scales.<br/>Conclusion In dealing with contraception, a gap exists between university students' attituds and actual behavior. The scores on the “Establishment of Self” scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were found to be significantly higher for those who exhibited higher values for components of contraceptive behavior.