Time of first intercourse: A prospective study.

Abstract

Longitudinal psychosocial data are used to predict the transition from virginity to nonvirginity among adolescents, all of whom were virgins at the initial testing in 1970. By the most recent follow-up, in 1979, 93% reported having had sexual intercourse experience. Variation in time of onset of initial intercourse was categorized into six time periods and served as the main criterion variable in the study. Bivariate and multivariate analyses show that antecedent measures of personality, the perceived environment, and behavior are predictive of variation in time of onset and, taken together, can account for approximately 30% of the criterion variance. The results support the utility of the problem-behavior-theory framework and show onset of sexual intercourse to be a systematic aspect of psychosocial development in adolescence.

Adolescent Sexuality: Behavior and Meaning

“…Youth who have no religious affi liation are most likely to initiate sex as teenagers (Forste & Heaton, 1988), and those who belong to churches that promote abstinence are least likely to have sex (e.g., Miller & Olson, 1988). Greater religiosity, as indexed by frequency of church attendance and perceived importance of religion, is associated with postponing intercourse (Cvetkovich & Grote, 1980;Jessor et al, 1983;Th ornton & Camburn, 1989;Whitbeck et al, 1999). In a national sample, greater frequency of attending religious services decreased the odds of initiating intercourse among white males and white, Latina, and black women (Day, 1992).…”

“…Adolescents with higher educational aspirations and better academic performance tend to postpone fi rst intercourse (Jessor et al, 1983;Miller & Sneesby, 1988) and have sex less often (Ohannessian & Crockett, 1993). Time spent in academic activities is also negatively related to early intercourse, especially for girls Whitbeck et al, 1999).…”

“…Although low self-esteem has been proposed as a predictor of early intercourse, evidence of this relationship is weak. In longitudinal studies, the association is weak or nonsignifi cant Jessor et al, 1983;Whit beck et al, 1999). A more robust eff ect has been found for depression: depressed aff ect is positively associated with girls' sexual experience (Whitbeck et al, 1992(Whitbeck et al, , 1999.…”

Patterns of Traffic Offenses from Adolescent Licensure into Early Young Adulthood

“…The perceived environment and personality systems motivate involvement in, or avoidance of problem behaviors, and include the social and physical environment, parent and peer influences [10], connectedness to conventional social institutions (i.e., school, family, and religion), and individual feelings, perceptions, and attitudes that influence problem behavior [11,12]. The behavior system encompasses both conventional and problem behaviors.…”

Timing of first sexual intercourse: The role of social control, social learning, and problem behavior

“…These two groups may be quite different, however, with those who postpone intercourse until after high school having particular characteristics that lead them to remain virgins when most adolescents are becoming sexually active. The only longitudinal study of these "postponers" suggests that adolescents who remained virgins into their twenties already differed from their peers psychologically in early adolescence (Jessor et al, 1983).…”