Premarital Sex: Perception, Engagement and Awareness of College Students in Bulan, Sorsogon, Philippines

This study determined the perception of college students towards premarital sex (PMS) amid the continuum of sexual conservatism and liberalism. It also investigated on the engagement and extent of awareness of the students to the various consequences of engaging in PMS. The cross-sectional descriptive study was participated by 320 respondents chosen through cluster random sampling form the different colleges in the town. Results revealed that students continue to hold a conservative view of PMS. However, degree of conservatism has diminished. Immorality and social unacceptability of PMS were slightly agreed on; although virginity and sanctity of sex were concepts respondents hold a tight view on. PMS is permissible if done by engaged couples and loving partners. One out of five respondents engaged in PMS which is relatively low compared to the regional and national data. Respondents’ awareness of the various consequences of PMS was fairly low with a mean of 1.6 responses, and the most common were, unwanted pregnancy, sexually-transmitted disease, can affect schooling and social stigma. This study recommends PMS education and the integration of these results in the content of instruction, focusing on health-related effects of PMS