Background: The high financial costs of marriage and different attitudes from others discourage some people from marriage, and these people choose cohabitation instead of legal marriage. This lifestyle can affect people's cultural, social, and other aspects of their lives.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence, attitudes, factors, and consequences of cohabitation without marriage among students of Persian Gulf University, Bushehr.
Methodology: The method of this study was a causal-comparative survey and the statistical population included all students of Persian Gulf University, Bushehr. 300 students were selected using a random cluster sampling method and answered the questionnaire in two ways: in person and online. The data were analyzed using SPSS-26 software and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA).
Results: The results showed that 27 people, equivalent to 9% of the participants in this study, had experience of cohabitation. The attitudes of these people showed a statistically significant difference compared to other participants (P < 0.05). Also, in terms of factors affecting cohabitation (marriage, financial need, influence of friends, emotional-sexual, and moral need), there was no difference between the two groups studied (P < 0.05). In terms of consequences, only in terms of social harms, a significant difference was found between the two groups studied (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be said that the phenomenon of cohabitation, considering its prevalence and increasing trend, is a significant and important phenomenon that requires serious attention from officials and families. Based on the fact that attitudes shape our behaviors, the difference between the two groups studied can be justified and the need for appropriate education for the target groups is felt. Meanwhile, the social harms caused by cohabitation should be considered and necessary interventions should be made in this regard.