This study examined the unique and simultaneous contribution of adolescents’ characteristics, parent–child relationship and friends’ characteristics on early sexual intercourse, while accounting for family status. A longitudinal multi‐sample design was used. The first sample was recruited in a suburban context (n = 265; 62% girls) and the second sample in an urban setting (n = 136; 61% girls). All predictors were measured in Grade 8 and age at first intercourse was assessed yearly for three years. Being in a non‐intact family, low parental control, high antisocial behaviors, low self‐disclosure, high proportion of other‐sex friends and high substance use were associated with earlier sexual intercourse. When all predictors were considered simultaneously, more antisocial behaviors, high proportion of other‐sex friends and non‐intact family structure significantly discriminated youth reporting first intercourse at age 13 or less from those who reported first intercourse at age 14, at age 15, or were virgins at age 16 among both samples.

In this study, two longitudinal models of early adolescent risky sexual behaviors (RSB) were compared using a pooled sample of 267 Canadian and Italian adolescents (55% females; 53% Canadians) assessed yearly from grade 8 to 10. We focused on parenting practices (monitoring, control, limit setting), adolescent problem behaviors (antisocial behaviors, substance use) and their friends' deviance (antisocial behaviors, substance use) as predictors of condom use frequency and lifetime number of sexual partners. The socialization model postulates that youths' problem behaviors and RSB are behaviors learned within the friendship network where deviancy training can occur. The selection model posits that delinquent youth tend to affiliate with each other, and that RSB is one of many behaviors that can form the basis of selection. Using structural equation modeling, this study showed that the socialization model was the most accurate to explain the emergence of RSB. A full mediation of parenting practices, passing through deviant friends and youths' problem behavior, was observed for condom use. The same process applied to number of sexual partners, but a direct effect for parenting practices was also found. Keywords adolescent; deviant friends; longitudinal; parenting practices; risky sexual behaviors; selection; socialization; structural equation modeling Most heterosexual teenagers begin to show interest in the opposite gender in early adolescence. However, the proportion of youth initiating sexual activity sometime during their teens is increasing in the United States (Katchadourian, 1990), Canada (MatickaTyndale, Barrett, & McKay, 2000), and some European countries, such as France, England and Sweden (Bajos, Ducot, Spencer, & Spira, 1997;Panchaud, Singh, Feivelson, & Darroch, 2000;Wellings, Field, Johnson, & Wadsworth, 1994). Although a developing awareness of sexuality and a participation in some forms of sexual behavior are normative during adolescence, some youth engage in risky sexual behaviors (RSB), such as having intercourse with multiple partners and misusing or underusing condoms, thus increasing their likelihood of contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as HIV/AIDS (Alix, Leaune, & Auger, 2001;Boyce, 2004; Brener, Kann, Lowry, Wechsler, & Romero, © 2009 The International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development Correspondence should be sent to Marie-Aude Boislard P., c/o François Poulin, Département de Psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal, CP 8888, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3C 3P8; tel. 514-987-3000 # 7766; boislard-pepin.marieaude@uqam.ca. NIH Public Access Author ManuscriptInt J Behav Dev. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 August 17. Rotermann, 2005). Among all sexually active persons in Canada, teenagers currently have the highest incidence of STIs (Gouvernement du Canada, 2005;Gouvernement du Québec, 2004;McKay, 2004), a situation that is also evident in European countries, such as England and Wales (Panchaud et al., 2000).Cur...

Sexual subjectivity (SS) includes sexual body-esteem, entitlement to self-pleasure and pleasure from a partner,
sexual self-efficacy, and reflection about sexual behavior. The objectives of this study were to examine if
females' SS was associated with their romantic experience, including status, length, quality, and same-sex sexual
experience. Participants were 251 females with a mean age of 19.6 years. In simple group comparisons, females
with steady partners were higher in sexual body esteem, self-efficacy and self-reflection, and those in longer
romantic relationships (> 1.5 years) had higher sexual body-esteem and self-efficacy, but lower self-reflection.
Females with a history of same-sex sexual experience were higher in sexual entitlement, self-efficacy and
self-reflection. In multiple regression, females with a steady partner and who reported more positive romantic
quality had greater sexual body-esteem. Females in longer relationships were higher in sexual self-efficacy but
lower in self-reflection. Same-sex sexual experience was associated with greater entitlement to self-pleasure. For
sexual self-efficacy and self-reflection, having a steady partner and a history of same-sex sexual experience were
uniquely associated. The developmental, theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Les relations amoureuses à l'âge adulte émergent présentent une certaine continuité avec les relations familiales et amicales vécues antérieurement (Seiffge-Krenke, Overbeek & Vermulst, 2010). La présente étude examine cette continuité en appliquant le modèle triangulaire de l'amour de Sternberg (1986, 1988, 2006), qui inclut les dimensions d'intimité, de passion et d'engagement. L'échantillon se compose de 131 jeunes ayant rempli des mesures portant sur la relation avec leurs parents et avec leur meilleur ami de même sexe à 17 ans, et avec leur partenaire amoureux à 19 ans. Les analyses de régression montrent que l'intimité vécue dans le couple à 19 ans est prédite par la qualité de la relation avec la mère et avec le père à 17 ans, et que l'engagement amoureux est prédit par la qualité de la relation avec le père uniquement. Ces effets s'appliquent aux filles seulement.