د . إAEDSRر . س

Malta’s Students’ Sexual Behaviour Unveiled: 80% Learned About Sex On The Internet

Article Featured Image

A psychology student at the University of Malta decided to commit her thesis to students’ sexual knowledge and behaviour – an important topic in a country where sexual health and education has been lacking.

University students are at the age where they should have trusted sources to consult, know about safe sex practices, and regularly get checked for STIs if they have multiple sexual partners.

Jessica Mercieca’s thesis, with a sample size of over 400 students, takes a deep dive into the sexual knowledge, attitudes and habits of those who participated.

Unsurprisingly, an overwhelming majority of students said they learnt about sex on the internet, and over a third of the students weren’t aware of the free STI tests and treatment the sexual health clinic at Mater Dei Hospital provides.

As 80.6% of the students learnt about sexuality and sexual behaviour on the internet, participants stated they wished to have learnt more regarding sex from their mothers and teachers.

And proper sex education is desperately needed, as over a third (35.9%) of the students were unaware of the free services offered for testing and treatment of STIs – which is even more problematic when realising that 16% of the students wrongly reported that condoms always prevent STIs.

Students found a friendly atmosphere and staff they can easily talk to the most important feature in sexual health services, followed by free contraception.

Another interesting finding is that more Maltese students than foreigners didn’t engage in any sexual activity, with 20% of locals refraining compared to 5% of international students reporting not having had any sexual activity.

Maltese people also were more likely to be in a relationship when engaging in a sexual act for the first time, with nearly 60% of Maltese being in a committed relationship, compared to 28% of foreigners.

Most (43.3%) participants strongly agreed or agreed that one should be in love before having intercourse, while 26.3% strongly disagreed or disagreed with this.

Just over half of the participants said their first sexual activity was when they were between 15 and 17 years, while a third of students said they were 18 to 20 years old and 11% said they were younger than 15.

Over 20% said that, thinking back to their first sexual activity, they should have waited longer. 10% even said that they shouldn’t have done it. 56% said it was the right time.

The majority, 65.8%, stated that they had only one or two sexual partners in their life, 18.6% said they had three to five sexual partners whilst 15.6% reported that they had more than six sexual partners.

The findings of Mercieca’s study once again confirm that sexual health and education should be a main priority in Malta, as students are left to their own devices to research safe sex practices.

Rather than letting them learning from online resources, it is key to educate Malta’s youths and students, both from school and home, to keep them safe, sexy and healthy.

What findings are most surprising to you?

READ NEXT: ‘Malta Doesn’t Care About Women’s Rights’: Escort Speaks Out On Colombian Students Doing Sex Work To Pay Quarantine Costs

Belle dives deep into seas and stories. She’s passionate about mental health, environmental sustainability and social justice. When she’s not out and about with her dog, she’s more than happy to hear from you on Instagram @belledejong or at [email protected]

You may also love

View All