Predictors of the Intention to Have Sexual Intercourse Soon among Indonesian Youth Males

Introduction: Youths are prone to risky sexual behaviors. Thus, this study aimed to determine the internal and external factors for the intention of having sexual intercourse among Indonesian youth males (aged 15-24). Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used employing secondary data from Indonesia Demographic and Health Survey 2017. The data of factors and intention of having sexual intercourse were collected from 8876 youth males in Indonesia using multistage cluster sampling and analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Results: The results showed that 14.7% of male adolescents intended to have sexual intercourse immediately. Youth males aged 20-24 had 33% higher chances of having sexual intercourse than those aged 15-19 (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR)=1.33, 95%Confi-dent Interval (CI)=1.12-1.58). Those living in rural areas had 23% higher intentions to have sex than urban youth (AOR=1.23, 95%CI=1.00-1.51). Better access to all media leads to 38% lower intention to do premarital sex than youth with only one media access (AOR=0.62, 95%CI=0.40-0.96). Having a girlfriend and friends experienced with premarital sex made youths 1.24 times (AOR=1.24, 95%CI=1.06-1.46) more likely to have sexual intercourse soon compared to those who do not have one. Being influenced by friends to have sex was almost five times more likely to have the sexual intention (AOR=4.90, 95%CI=3.54-6.78). Lastly, male youth with a bad attitude towards premarital sex was 2.5 times more likely to intend to have sex (AOR=2.49, 95%CI=2.12-2.93). Conclusion: External factors (i.e., type of residence, friend’s influence, etc) can interact with internal factors, like age and attitudes towards premarital sex, to form the intention to have sexual intercourse. Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences (2024) 20(3): 60-67. doi:10.47836/mjmhs.20.3.9