Does Religiosity Curb Risky Sexual Behavior among Adolescents?

Background: Adolescent sexual and reproductive health (ASRH) is an important global health issue. Some of the challenges faced by adolescents across the world include early pregnancy and parenthood, difficulties accessing contraception and safe abortion, and high rates of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. However, ASRH has been overlooked historically despite the high risks that countries face for its neglect. This study aimed to examine the effects of religiosity and parental role on risky sexual behavior among adolescents. Subjects and Method: This was a case control study conducted in Madiun, East Java, from April 4 to May 14, 2018. A sample of 150 adolescents was selected for this study by fixed disease sampling. The dependent variable was risky sexual behavior. The independent variables were negative attitude, religiosity, and parental role. The data were collected by questionnaire and analyzed by a multiple logistic regression. Results: The risk of risky sexual behavior in adolescents decreased with strong parental role (OR= 0.25; 95% CI<0.01 to 0.56; p= 0.020) and religiosity (OR= 0.12; 95% CI= 0.01 to 0.21; p= 0.002), but increased with negative attitude (OR= 28.57; 95% CI= 1.44 to 5.64; p= 0.028). Conclusion: The risk of risky sexual behavior in adolescents decrease with strong parental role and religiosity, but increases with negative attitude. Keywords: risky sexual behavior, religiosity, parental role, adolescents