Examining determinants of sexual behavior among indigenous adolescents in Taiwan

A recent Taiwanese government report indicated that there were an increased number of sexual encounters among 15- to 17-year-old adolescents. Among them, indigenous Taiwanese had a higher rate of sexual encounters than did the rest of the population. However, no prior study has surveyed indigenous Taiwanese adolescents’ sexual behavior. Therefore, we examined the determinants of sexual behavior among indigenous adolescents in Taiwan. In this cross-sectional study, the researchers chose 16 high schools as the target research population; after 2-stage random sampling, 4 of the 16 high schools were recruited to participate in the research. Data were collected through a self-report questionnaire from the participants, with a total of 521 valid responses. Of the indigenous adolescents surveyed, 53% (N = 275) said they had touching, hugging, or kissing experiences, while 15.7% (N = 82) reported sexual behavior. The higher rate of sexual encounters among indigenous Taiwanese adolescents is associated with the gender, number of current or past romantic partners, drinking, and drug use before sexual intercourse. After adjustment for confounding factors, gender (male vs female, adjusted OR = 3.33, 95% CI: 1.83–6.07), number of heterosexual (≧1 vs no, OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.36–2.06), and heterosexual relationship (yes vs no, OR = 3.81, 95% CI: 1.94–7.48) appeared to be statistically significantly related sexual behaviors. This study found that the occurrence rate of sexual behavior for indigenous adolescents was higher than the past research results, and having initiated sexual intercourse in earlier age. The results also showed the indigenous adolescents whose drinking alcohol and drug use are more experiences on sexual behaviors. The results could be applied on sexual education program in campus.