Premarital sexual experience and its relationship with conservative sexual myths in male university students

Objective: This study aims to identify premarital sexual behavior of male university students, and to determine the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics of sexual behavior and conservative Islamic sexual myths. Method: 463 male university students from various departments of the university where this study was carried out were reached with this purpose. Evaluations were made on 382 (84%) students who participated in the study and fulfilled the evaluation criteria. The participants filled out the socio-demographic data form, sexual experience information form and sexual myth form, in sequence. Results: The number of students who had experienced masturbation was 316 (82.7%), and the number who had experienced at least one sexual intercourse was 159 (41.6%). The rates of masturbation and experience of sexual intercourse were higher in those who did not perform their daily religious activities. Those with experience in masturbation and sexual intercourse had a lower rate of conservative sexual myths. Discussion: Although the mean age of first masturbation was compatible with literature data in our participants, mean age of first sexual intercourse was higher than that in western populations. This result supports the results of the studies carried out on Asian populations. Absence of a difference regarding socioeconomic characteristics in the groups with different sexual experience, urban or rural living not causing a significant difference for experience in masturbation and the majority of samples intensively performing their daily religious activities suggest that factors related with religion may play a role in sexual experience. The intensity of performing religious activities is an important factor influencing sexual experience in the premarital period. Those with sexual experience have a lower rate of conservative sexual myths. Detailed studies on through which effects religion can determine sexual experience are needed.