Factors Influencing Students' Attitude Toward Having Opposite Sex Friends

Abstract

     This study of public university students in the Bangkok Metropolis was designed to examine: (1) family nurturing, knowledge on sex education, and self esteem; and (2) the influential factors on the attitude toward having opposite sex friends. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 432 students from six universities. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression were employed for data analysis. The sample was characterized generally by approximately equal proportions of male and female students, with an average age of 19.89 years. The majority of students resided in dormitories. The findings showed three types of family nurturing used to bring up the students: democratic, authoritarian, and laissez-faire nurturing. Most of the students had a moderate level of knowledge on sex education. Their self esteem was at a high level, and attitude toward having opposite sex friends was at the highest level. The results of correlation analysis showed that attitude toward having opposite sex friends was moderately correlated with knowledge on sex education, self esteem and family nurturing, and was statistically significant at the .001 level. Moreover, the stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the influential factors on attitude toward having opposite sex friends of public university students were: authoritarian family nurturing, laissez-faire family nurturing, knowledge on sex education regarding hygiene and sociological aspects, and self esteem regarding acceptance from teacher and acceptance from father and mother or parent.