Editing: research/abstract_eng/726.txt

Raviwan Kunwee. (2004). Environmental and Psychological Factors Related to Risks of Having Sexual Relationship of School-Age, Female Teenagers in Bangkok Metropolitan Area. Master thesis, M.S. (Applied Behavioral Science Research). Bangkok : Graduate School, Srinakharinwirot University. Advisor Committee: Ph.D. Wiladlak Chuawanlee, Assistant Professor Laddawan Kasemnet. The objectives of this study were 1) to investigate whether environmental variables, psychological characteristics and bio-social variables were good predictors of risk behaviors to have sexual relationship during school-age of female adolescents and 2) to compare the risk behaviors between female adolescents who had different environmental, psychological and bio-social factors ; that is to examine the interactions among the aforementioned variables on the risk behaviors. Samples were 380 female adolescents aged 15-21 years studying at professional diplomatic level in 4 institutes in Bangkok. Nine predictors of interest were 3 types of parental rearing about sex (democratic, restrictive and laissez-faire), having peers as role model on sexual relationship, attitude towards risk behaviors, future-orientation and self-control, self-esteem, family background (parents living together VS divorced), and living conditions (living with parents VS living alone or with friends) Questionnaires were used to collect data. The data were analyzed by utilizing stepwise muttiple regression analysis, three-way analysis of variance and Scheffe's test. The results were as follows : 1. Good predictors of risk behaviors, were attitude towards risk behaviors, laissez-faire type of rearing, living conditions, having role model and democratic type of rearing. The latter predictor had a negative coefficient. These five predictors altogether accounted for 75.30% of the risk behaviors variance. 2. In examining interactions among environmental, psychological and bio-social variables, it was found that there were no interaction effects among the three groups of variables. However, there was an interaction effect between laissez-faire type of rearing and living conditions. Female adolescents who were high in laissez-faire rearing scores and living alone or with friend had the highest risk behaviors compared to other groups. The variables which had main effects on risk behaviors were living conditions, attitude towards risk behaviors, and having role model. The higher the scores of these variables the more the risk behaviors and the adolescents who lived alone or with friends had higher risk behaviors than those living with parents.