Peer-Group Influence and Family Standard of Living as Correlates of Prostitution Tendencies Among University Undergraduates in South East, Nigeria.

Abstract

The study was designed to investigate peer-group influence and family standard of living as correlates of prostitution tendencies among university undergraduates in south east, Nigeria. Two research questions and two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The design of the study was correlational survey. The sample consisted of 1,983 university undergraduates from two federal and three state universities in south east, Nigeria. The instrument used for the study were questionnaire titled Peer-Group Influence and Family Standard of Living as Correlates of Prostitution Tendencies Questionnaire (PGIFSLCPTQ) and Focus Group Discussions Guide  (FGDs) which were validated by experts and used for data collection. The data collected were analysed using Pearson correlation coefficient and t-test. Qualitative analytical procedure known as content analysis was employed to analyse the Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). The major findings of the study include: there is positive correlation between peer-group influence and prostitution tendencies of university undergraduates; University undergraduates from families of low standard of living have more tendencies for prostitution than those in high standard of living. Based on the findings of the study, recommendations were made among which is that: Sex education should be introduced and emphasised in the curriculum programme of tertiary institutions.

Keywords: Peer-group influence, family standard of living, prostitution tendencies, university undergraduates