| Abstract |
Sexuality is a result of the interplay of biological, psychological, socio-economic, cultural, ethics and religious/spiritual factors. Youth sexuality, particularly homosexuality has always been a matter of concern to many parties. Furthermore, the issue of homosexuality has already caused much controversy in Malaysia recently. This study aims to explore the homosexual tendency among Malaysian youths. Methods a nationwide cross sectional study was done using secondary data from Adolescent Health Screening Forms (BSSK/R/1/2008). Data was obtained from randomly selected participants of a national youth programme aged between 18-25 years and was analyzed using SPSS. Results A total of 22,750 youth participated with almost equal ratio by sex. Mean age was 19.0 years old. This study revealed that the homosexual tendency was more common amongst male youths (4.1%), 21-24 years old (5.5%) and no formal education (6.1%). There is a relationship between homosexual tendency and sex, ethnicity and educational attainment. Homosexual tendency was found to be significantly associated with risky behavior, abuse, anti-social behavior, substance abuse and family connectedness. Multivariate analysis using logistic regression found that homosexual tendency was two times higher among abused youth followed by youth with anti-social (OR=1.9), risky behavior (OR=1.6), lack of family connectedness (OR=1.7), less religious (OR=1.4) while controlling for age, ethnicity and education level. Conclusion, the prevalence of homosexual tendency among youths in Malaysia is an alarming issue and many cases are still under-reported. Misunderstanding and a lack of information on sexual diversity have caused a concern for many, as there is a tendency for judgments, stereotypes, discrimination and prejudice towards homosexuality in society. Instead of treating it as a disease, ways and measures of educating youths need to be explored. |
