ISSN 2360-7963
Abstract
This study was aimed at assessing the belief of youths on premarital sex and abortion in AGC Lagos State. The study's design was a descriptive survey research design. The area of this study is Lagos State. The population of this study comprised an estimate of 8,320 youths in the Assembly of God Church. The sample of the study comprised 382 participants. This study adopted Fisher's formula to determine the sample size from the population. A questionnaire instrument was used for data collection in this study. The instrument is titled ‘Assessment of Belief of Youths on Premarital Sex and Abortion Questionnaire (ABYPAQ)’. The face validity of the instrument was determined by three experts from Paul University. The reliability of the instrument was ascertained using the Cronbach Alpha method of reliability, and a reliability index of 0.84 was obtained, thus making the instrument reliable. Data collected from the survey were analysed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions and an independent t-test to test the hypotheses at the .05 level of significance. The findings indicated a significant correlation between the beliefs of youths and their sexual discipline practices within the Assemblies of God Church, with religious teachings exerting a considerable influence on youths' beliefs concerning premarital relationships and abortion. Based on the findings, the study recommended that the church should assess and improve its sexual health education programs to ensure they meet the needs of youths by providing comprehensive and accurate information; parents within the Assemblies of God Church should be encouraged to engage their children in open and honest discussions about sexuality from a biblical perspective; and faith-based sex education programs should be introduced in Assemblies of God youth fellowships, blending medical facts with biblical morality, among others..
Keywords: Belief, Premarital Sex, Abortion, Youths Sexuality