Newsroom @ Missional University

delivering news and updates about Missional University

Predicting Youth Sexual Deviance: The Case of Risky Sexual Behaviour among Ghanaian Adolescents

For over two decades now, much has been learned about the scourge of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), especially in the most advanced societies. But although sub-Saharan Africa continues to bear the brunt of the global HIV/AIDS pandemic and other sexually transmitted diseases, very few studies in the region and for that matter Ghana have systematically and exclusively examined adolescent risky sexual behaviour in a manner that is theoretically consistent with the unique socio-cultural norms that govern sexuality in the society. Given that involvement in risky sexual behaviour constitutes sexual deviance in the Ghanaian context, and from the ontological position that behaviour is a product of structure and human agency (Sewell 1992), this study employs the theories of social control (Hirschi 1969), power control (Hagan et al. 1979, 1985,1987, 2002; McCarthy et al. 1999) and rational choice (Cornish and Clarke 1986) in examining the predictors of risky sexual behaviour among Ghanaian adolescents. Overall findings suggest a mixed support for the theoretical expectations. Policy implications and direction for future research are also addressed.

Cofie, N. (2011). Predicting Youth Sexual Deviance: The case of risky sexual behaviour among Ghanaian Adolescents. Saarbrücken: Lap Lambert Academic Publishing.

Dr. Nicholas Cofie is Professor of Global Health, Population Studies Specialist in the Department of Global Health & Population Studies in the School of Ecological Mission at Missional University. His academic credentials include a B.A. (Honours) in Sociology and Political Science and a M.Phil. in Population Studies, University of Ghana (GH); and a M.A. in Sociology and a PhD in Sociology specializing in Demography, Applied Statistics & Criminology), Queen’s University (CA).

Link to Book Information.     Faculty Profile

Related articles

The Multilingual Jesus and the Sociolinguistic World of the New Testament

Was Jesus multilingual? Which languages did he speak? What does the linguistic composition and sociolinguistic situation of first-century Palestine look like? On what occasions were Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin spoken in that ancient community? These questions have biblical scholars searching for answers since the sixteenth century, proposing different opinions on the issues related to […]

A Climate of Justice: Loving Your Neighbour in a Warming World

What does it mean to love our neighbours in a world that is warming? That is just one of the questions dealt with in A Climate of Justice. Justice, we are reminded, is important to Christians because justice reflects God’s character. There are many issues of justice that currently concern Christians: the refugee crises and the treatment […]