Sex as a developmental transition: the direct and indirect roles of peers

Vacirca, Maria Fernanda; Ortega, Enrique; Rabaglietti, Emanuela; Ciairano, Silvia

doi:10.1080/19419899.2010.541274

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Consequently, this sense of belonging may facilitate resilience from emotional problems (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). This finding is consistent with studies focusing on adolescents' sexuality, which found that peers played direct and indirect roles in adolescents' sexual behaviors (Vacirca, Ortega, Rabaglietti, & Ciairano, 2011), and adolescents who had sexual behaviors on time (conforming to the group norm) reported greater well‐being than sexually inexperienced or late‐onset students (Vrangalova & Savin‐Williams, 2011).…”

Section: The Effects Of Adolescent Romantic Relationshipssupporting

confidence: 89%

Romantic relationships and adjustment problems in China: The moderating effect of classroom romantic context

Hou

Natsuaki²,

Zhang

et al. 2012

Journal of Adolescence

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Theoretical and empirical research has shown that adolescent romantic relationships are associated with a wide range of developmental outcomes, including adverse consequences. The present study used a hierarchical linear model to examine the moderating effect of classroom romantic context on the association between adolescent romantic relationships and adjustment problems. Data were collected from 4776 Chinese adolescents across 106 classes and from 47 schools. The participants' ages ranged from 12 to 18 years. The results indicated that romantic involvement and breakups were associated with adolescents' depressive symptoms and delinquent behaviors. Moreover, the association between breakups and depressive symptoms depended on the classroom romantic context. Specifically, we found that adolescents who experienced breakups showed fewer depressive symptoms in classrooms where romantic relationships were common among classmates than in those classrooms where romantic relationships were rare among classmates. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.

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Section: The Effects Of Adolescent Romantic Relationshipssupporting

confidence: 89%

Romantic relationships and adjustment problems in China: The moderating effect of classroom romantic context

Hou

Natsuaki²,

Zhang

et al. 2012

Journal of Adolescence

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“…Recent work has suggested that adolescents’ perceptions and attitudes are important factors for understanding why some teens transition into sex and others do not (Vacirca, et al, 2011). Our results underscore the importance of considering the joint influence of multiple reference groups and evaluating the ways that teens perceive these groups’ influences on their own norms and behaviors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Previous research has found no clear relationship between parental norms and communication about sex and teen sexual behavior (Whitaker and Miller 2000). However, we know that teen sexual behavior is strongly imbedded in peer social networks (Vacirca, Ortega, Rabaglietti, & Ciairano, 2011) and influenced by peers’ behaviors (Kinsman, Furstenberg, & Schwarz, 1998; Sieving, Eisenberg, Pettingell, & Skay, 2006). Some scholars have argued that teen sexual behavior is jointly influenced by parents and peers (Jaccard & Dittus, 1993; Whitaker & Miller, 2000), but few studies have analyzed the influence of these often competing reference groups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

College-bound teens’ decisions about the transition to sex: Negotiating competing norms

Sennott

Mollborn

2011

Advances in Life Course Research

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The normative influence of parents, close friends, and other peers on teens’ sexual behavior has been well documented. Yet, we still know little about the processes through which these oftentimes competing norms impact teens’ own sexual norms and behaviors. Drawing on qualitative data from 47 interviews conducted with college-bound teens, we investigate the processes through which perceived parental, close friend, and other peer norms about sex influenced teens’ decisions about whether and when to have sex. Although virtually all teens perceived that most of their peers were having sex and that parents were almost universally against teen sex, some teens had sex and others did not. Our findings demonstrate that teens who remained virgins and those who were sexually active during high school often negotiated different sets of competing norms. Differences in understandings of age norms, in close friends’ sexual norms and behaviors, and in communication about sex with parents, close friends and other peers were related to different levels of sexual behavior for teens who otherwise shared many similarities in social location (e.g.. class, race, and educational status). While virgins reported an individualized process of deciding whether they were ready for sex, we find that their behavior fits within a traditional understanding of an age norm because of the emphasis on avoiding negative sanctions. Sexually experienced teens, on the other hand, explicitly reported abiding by a group age norm that prescribed sex as normal during high school. Finally, parents’ normative objections to teen sex – either moral or practical – and the ways they communicated with their teen about sex had important influence on teens’ own sexual norms and behaviors during high school.

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“…Therefore, adolescent romantic relationships has become a primary research area for developmental research (Collins, Welsh, & Furman, 2009; Furman & Rose, 2015). As romantic relationships develop in the peer context (Vacirca, Ortega, Rabaglietti, & Ciairano, 2012), we examine the determinants of adolescent romantic relationships with a focus on the peers, in particular on friendship relations and peer-perceived popularity. Specifically, we look at the first-time involvement in a romantic relationships of adolescents between ages 12 and 18.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Friendships, Perceived Popularity, and Adolescent Romantic Relationship Debut

Savickaitė

Dijkstra

Kreager

et al. 2019

The Journal of Early Adolescence

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This study examined the association of friendships and popularity with adolescents’ first-time involvement in a romantic relationship (referred to as romantic relationship debut). The aim of this article was twofold: first, to disentangle the unique effects of friendships and perceived popularity; second, to separate same- and cross-gender peer nominations. Specifically, it was tested whether same- and cross-gender friendships or same- and cross-gender popularity were more likely to increase the likelihood of romantic relationship debut. Using longitudinal data of 590 Dutch adolescents age 12 to 18 (57 % girls) from TRAILS (Tracking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey), results are consistent with the hypothesis that cross-gender friendships and cross-gender popularity increase the chances of a romantic relationship debut. Findings indicate that peer evaluations by cross-gender peers of both friendships and popularity account for adolescents’ romantic relationship debut.

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Sex as a developmental transition: the direct and indirect roles of peers

Cited by 6 publications

References 27 publications

Romantic relationships and adjustment problems in China: The moderating effect of classroom romantic context

Romantic relationships and adjustment problems in China: The moderating effect of classroom romantic context

College-bound teens’ decisions about the transition to sex: Negotiating competing norms

Friendships, Perceived Popularity, and Adolescent Romantic Relationship Debut

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