The relationship of selected variables to the use/nonuse of contraceptives among Undergraduate College and University students

The purpose of this research was to assess the role of race, sex, locus of control personality variables, and socioeconomic status on the use/nonuse of contraceptives among sexually active undergraduate college and university students.

Three questionnaires, 1) Locus of Control Scale, 2) Socioeconomic Questionnaire, and 3) Contraceptive Utilization Questionnaire, were administered to 344 undergraduate students during the Spring quarter, 1982. Sixty-Four percent of the students surveyed indicated sexual activity. Sexually inactive students and others not meeting the research requirements were eliminated from the study. Consequently, 196 students were analyzed for this study. In the study group, 19 percent were surveyed from Knoxville College, Knoxville, and 81 percent were from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Twenty-Four percent of the students were black and 76 percent were white. Forty-seven percent of study population were male while 53 percent were female students.

Analysis of the association between the variables was completed by the use of Yule's Q statistic. The Q coefficient was used to determine the Proportional-Reduction-in Error (PRE).

Based on the Bindings of the analyzed data, the Bellowing major conclusions were derived:

1. Race is not a factor in contraceptive use/nonuse by sexually active college and university undergraduate students.

2. The sex of the subject is a factor in contraceptive use/nonuse by sexually active college and university undergraduate students. Overall, male students are nonusers of contraceptives.

3. Locus of control internal-external personality variables are not factors in contraceptive use/nonuse by sexually active college and university undergraduate students.

4. Socioeconomic status is not a factor in contraceptive use/nonuse by sexually active college and university undergraduate students. However, when groups were studied separately, socioeconomic status was a factor in contraceptive nonuse among white low socioeconomic status students.