Premarital sex behavior among adolescent: The influence of subjective norms and perceived behavioral control toward attitudes of high school student

Introduction: Modernization has brought shifts in social norms especially in adolescents, including their sexual behavior. Girls between the ages 15-19 about 38 million were at risk of pregnancy, 21 million of adolescents had pregnancy experience, and 49% of them were unwanted pregnancies. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of subjective norms and behavioral controls on adolescent attitudes to prevent premarital sex behavior. Methods: This quantitative study used a cross-sectional study design. Data were taken using questionnaires that tested for validity and reliability. The population in this study was high-school students in Trenggalek Regency in East Java Indonesia as one of the regencies with increasing problems related to premarital sexual behavior. The population of this study was high-school students of first grade, second grade, and third grade as the majority of adolescents that conducted the premarital sex behavior were among that age range. Results: 97.3% of students have positive norms conducive to prevention of premarital sex behavior and 98.7% of students have behavioral controls and positive attitudes to prevent premarital sex. Conclusion: Subjective norms and perceived behavioral controls in this study did not affect adolescent attitudes to prevent premarital sex behavior.