Factors Responsible for Cohabitation among Youth as Perceived by Students of the University of Ilorin, Nigeria

Abstract

Cohabitation is an intimate sexual union between two unmarried partners who share the same living quarter for a sustained period of time. This study investigated factors responsible for cohabitation among youths as perceived by students of University of Ilorin. The research design that was adopted for the study is the descriptive survey method. The population for this study comprises all of the 44,566 undergraduates at the University of Ilorin, while the target population for the study comprises 24,935 students of the Faculties of Arts; a total of two hundred (200) students constitutes the sample of this study. The instrument used for collection of the relevant data for this study was a 20-item structured questionnaire entitled “Factors Responsible for Cohabitation among Youths”. The instrument was validated with a reliability coefficient of 0.85 after a test re-test using PPMC at 0.05 alpha level. The findings of this study revealed that: reducing the occurrence of loneliness, improving the academic performance of the cohabitants, it is morally acceptable, it encourages peer reading/study, and it goes against the spiritual principle of purity, among others, are the common factors responsible for cohabitation. Also, there is a significant difference in the factors responsible for cohabitation among youths as perceived by the students of the University of Ilorin on the basis of their faculty, gender, and level. There is no significant difference in the factors responsible for cohabitation among youths as perceived by the students of the University of Ilorin on the basis of their age bracket. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that there should be a regular campaign regarding the benefits and dangers associated with students’ cohabitation, the Government should support the university management in providing sufficient accommodations for students, students should switch to cohabitation when they don’t have any other option and they should not abuse it, and parents should make sure that they are monitoring the activities of their children to avoid the danger of cohabitation.