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Thesis (M.A. (Navorsingpsigologie)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008. An increasing number of South African studies show that there is cause for concern about high-risk sexual behaviour among persons in the age group 15-20 years, resulting in HIV/Aids, unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, among others. Students at tertiary institutions are increasingly viewed as a high-risk sub-group, in spite of the assumption that they should be fairly well-informed about high-risk sexual behaviour. Existing sexuality programmes are seen as inadequate, because they primarily focus on knowledge, awareness and education regarding sexual risk-behaviour, and they do not sufficiently emphasise skills which enable students to effectively regulate sexual needs. Self-regulation (SR) is seen as a systematic behaviour process by means of which the individual selects and acts out personal goals and makes appropriate adjustments to achieve those goals. The study may contribute towards creating new insights into sexual behaviour among students, and to propose guidelines for interventions based on it, which will facilitate SR skills among students and not only knowledge and awareness in terms of sexual behaviour. The objective of this study was to qualitatively investigate the SR strategies of sexual behaviour among a group of students. A convenience sample of 57 undergraduate students at the North-West University, of which 67% were female and 33% were male, and with an average age of 20 years, participated in the study. Data was gathered by means of a structured questionnaire and analysed qualitatively in accordance with directed thematic content analysis. It was found that the sexual goals of this group of students are primarily motivated by religious faith and values, and that they display a relatively high measure of self-efficacy with regard to the achievement of their goals. This creates a relatively positive starting point for efficient SR, but the presence of various risk factors, such as a unilateral focus on avoidance goals, as well as an unacceptable high number of students who practice no monitoring process and who use no or only a limited number of adjustment strategies, are reasons why most students eventually find it hard to achieve their sexual goals. It is clear that the SR of sexual behaviour is an extremely complex process, and that much more research is needed on this to understand its dynamics better. This study therefore offers a valuable starting point to see sexual behaviour as more than the product of awareness and knowledge. It was finally recommended that the relation between religion, sexuality and self-regulation be further investigated, and to involve other ethnic-, religious- and socioeconomic groups in similar research. Masters |
