Spatial distribution and correlation of dating and premarital sexual experience among male adolescents in Java Islands, Indonesia

Department of Environmental Geography, Universitas Gadjah Mada, 55281 Bulaksumur, Yogyakarta

^* Corresponding author: seri.aryati@ugm.ac.id

Abstract

The high percentage of male adolescents who had premarital sex and dating in Indonesia on the Java Islands makes it a serious problem. This is exacerbated by the results of research which show that the experience of dating from an early age can increase the likelihood of adolescents engaging in sexual intercourse. This study aims to analyze the correlation between dating experiences and premarital sex as measured by age at first initiation, as well as to determine the spatial distribution of prevalence and correlation. This research is a quantitative statistical study using the Spearman Rank correlation test and also using a map to describe the spatial distribution. The results showed that there are 84 percent of male adolescents in Java who started dating at the age of less than 19 years, also doing sexual intercourse in that age range. This shows male adolescents have experienced a process of greater sexual maturity, so that they have a higher urge to engage in sexual behavior. This condition is in line with the results of the correlation test, where there are 4 provinces in Java which have a positive and significant correlation between the two variables, including Banten, Jakarta, Central Java and West Java. It means the younger the age at first dating adolescents, the younger they will have premarital sex.