The Timing of Sexual Intercourse among Adolescents

Abstract

Children's perceptions of their relationships with their parents and peers in 1976 and 1981, respectively, along with other salient antecedent variables, were related to their age at first sexual intercourse, as reported in 1987. Data came from the National Survey of Children, a three-wave longitudinal study of 1,145 children age 7-11 (Wave 1), 12-16 (Wave 2), and 18-22 (Wave 3). Antecedent variables were taken from both Round 1 and Round 2 surveys. When the same variables were present at both times, the more recent data were used if the survey occurred prior to age of first sexual intercourse; if not, the Round 1 data were used. Separate analyses were run to predict timing of sexual intercourse for males and females. Age of first date, dating often, number of friends perceived to have had sex at age 16, being Black, having parents undergo marital changes during the child's school years, and fighting at school were the most significant predictors of age at first sexual intercourse among males. All of these variables except fighting at school and dating frequency were significant predictors among females. Additional significant variables predicting age of first sex among females were menarche, parents' education, mother's coercive behavior and love withdrawal, and attitudes about attending religious services.

Adolescent Sexuality: Behavior and Meaning

“…Consistent associations have been found between family structure (especially living in a single-parent family) and earlier fi rst intercourse (B. Miller et al, 1997). Th is eff ect persists after controlling for demographic variables such as race, social class, and age.…”

“…Miller et al, 1998). Among girls, early menarche was associ ated with a younger age at fi rst intercourse (Magnusson, 1988;B. Miller et al, 1997); among boys, advanced pubertal maturation relative to peers was associated with earlier fi rst intercourse (Capaldi, Crosby, & Stoolmiller, 1996).…”

“…Romantic or dating relationships often provide the context for adolescent sexual behavior. Early and steady dating predict sexual behavior for both genders (Miller et al, 1986;B. Miller et al, 1997;Th ornton, 1990).…”

Developmental Pathways to Sexual Risk Behavior in High-Risk Adolescent Boys

“…14,16 Results from studies that have examined multiple domains of risk in relation to 1 component of HRSB, timing of first sexual intercourse, suggest a dynamic interplay between individual, family, and peer factors during adolescence. [17][18][19] However, it is unclear whether similar factors influence additional types of HRSB (eg, effective contraceptive use). Moreover, there is a lack of research that considers multiple domains of risk for HRSB from early childhood.…”

“…To evaluate youths' HRSB at ages 15,16,17,18, and 20 years, 3 items from the SRD 39 were used. Youth indicated if, in the past year, they "had sex with another person," "had unsafe sex (i.e., sex without a condom)," and "gotten someone else pregnant?"…”