Age at Sexual Debut and Multiple Sexual Partnerships among Adolescents in Nigeria: An Assessment of the Mediating Role of the Knowledge of Sexually Transmitted Infections

Abstract

Adolescents in Nigeria are at risk of plethora of ills arising from risky sexual behavior in the form of multiple sexual partnerships (MSP). Despite evidence linking MSPs to age at sexual debut, there is a dearth of research among adolescents and the mediating role of the knowledge of STIs has been ignored. Hence, we examined the association between age at sexual debut and MSP and the mediating role of the knowledge of STIs in the relationship among adolescents. We utilized data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (n = 3215), employing Chi square test of association and binary logistic regression to address the study objectives. We established strong inverse relationship between age at sexual debut and MSP among adolescents in Nigeria and additionally, found that its interaction with knowledge of HIV and STIs significantly reduced adolescents’ engagement in MSP, i.e., adolescents who first had sex in later years (15+ years) were significantly less likely to have multiple sexual partners compared to adolescents who had early sexual debut (≤14 years). Early, age-appropriate, continuous, and improved awareness campaigns and reproductive health services and interventions for this population subgroup are recommended.

Socio-Ecological Associations of the Development of Sexual Behavior in Young Adolescent Girls in the Rural Southern Region of Malawi

“…Instead, they were asked about the total number of distinct categories of people (boyfriend, teacher, relative or hit and run) they have had sex with, suggesting that more emphasis was put on exploring the engagement of multiple sexual partners. Having a clear understanding of the age the young adolescent girls first experience sexual intercourse was essential to determine the appropriate age to introduce interventions to reduce the early sexual debut among the young adolescent girls as previous research shows more adverse outcomes to adolescent girls who experience first sex at the younger age (Alawode et al, 2021; Epstein et al, 2014; McClinton et al, 2022).…”

“…Globally, adolescent girls who start having sex at the age of 14 or younger are more likely to have multiple sexual partners, not use any protection, and have an increased risk of having an early pregnancy, HIV infection, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including human papillomavirus, which causes cancer of the cervix later in their lives (Alawode et al, 2021; Epstein et al, 2014; McClinton et al, 2022). While adverse outcomes are observed globally, the consequences of early sexual debut are more in sub-Saharan Africa and other least-developed countries than in developed countries.…”

Associations of Parents-Adolescent Relationship with Adolescent Sexual Risk Behaviors: A Global Analysis Based on 156,649 School-Going Adolescents from 50 Countries

“…These behaviors expose adolescents to a myriad of potential negative health outcomes, including sexually transmitted infections (e.g., HIV) and mental health problems (Kincaid et al., 2012 ; Pinyopornpanish et al., 2017 ; Szucs et al., 2020 ). An increasing trend over time has been observed in the proportion of adolescents engaging in early sexual activity, associating with multiple sexual partners, and inconsistently using condoms (Alawode et al., 2021 ; Blum et al., 2003 ; Ishida et al., 2011 ; Kurtz et al., 2005 ; Kushal et al., 2022 ; Nield et al., 2014 ; Yaya & Bishwajit, 2018 ).…”

“…Previous studies had differences in variable definitions, sample populations, and methodological approaches, which have limited cross-country and cross-region comparisons. Additionally, small sample sizes based on community samples hinder the generalizability of findings (Alawode et al., 2021 ; Blum et al., 2003 ; Ishida et al., 2011 ; Kurtz et al., 2005 ; Nield et al., 2014 ; Yaya & Bishwajit, 2018 ).…”

Exploring the why: risk factors for HIV and barriers to sexual and reproductive health service access among adolescents in Nigeria

“…Early sexual debut increases the risk for multiple sexual partners and for HIV. This risk is mitigated by adequate knowledge of HIV and STIs [ 12 ]. However, in the setting of low access to testing, comprehensive knowledge of HIV among adolescents in Nigeria is poor [ 13 ].…”