Counselling Strategies for Reducing Spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) among Senior Secondary School Students in Rivers State

The study examined counselling strategies for reducing spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) among senior secondary school students in Rivers State. Three specific objectives, three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The study was carried out in Rivers State. The population of the study was 30,889 comprising 333 school guidance counsellors and 30,556 students. The sample size was 450 which comprises 420 students and 30 school guidance counsellors in senior secondary schools in Rivers State obtained using multistage sampling technique. The instrument used for the study was a self-designed instrument titled “Counselling Strategies for Reducing Spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) among Senior Secondary School Students (CSRSSTD)”. The instrument was structed in a four-point rating scale of Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree (SD). The instrument was validated and tested for reliability using Cronbach Alpha. The reliability coefficient obtained was 0.87, 0.77, and 0.89 which indicated that the instrument was reliable. The data gathered through research instruments were analysed using mean and standard deviation while the null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study found that utilization of behavioural counselling, risk reduction counselling and preventive counselling are identified as the strategies that can help reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases at high extent. The study recommended that school administrators encourage guidance counsellors in organization of counselling programmes that are tailored towards discouraging unhealthy sexual behaviours of students. This can help students develop a healthy sexual culture thereby reducing their vulnerability to sexually transmitted diseases.