Dating age and stage as correlates of adolescent sexual attitudes and behavior

Dating experiences, especially the type or stage of dating, have consistently been found to be related to premarital sexual behavior. Findings regarding the age at 1st date and sexual behavior have been less consistent. This paper examined the age at which dating began and the type of dating relationship as correlates of premarital sexual attitudes and behavior among mid-teen adolescents. The analyses were based on a sample of high school students (n=836), most of whom were between the ages of 15 and 18 when the surveys were conducted. Early dating, especially early steady dating, was related to permissive attitudes and to premarital sexual experience among both males and females. The relationship between early dating and intercourse experience was particulary strong among Mormons, a religious group which has institutionalized age 16 as the legitimate age to begin dating.     

Parents' behavioral norms as predictors of adolescent sexual activity and contraceptive use

The influence of parental factors on adolescent sexual behavior and contraceptive use has been examined previously, and findings have been contradictory. Previous studies, which found little relationship between parental norms and adolescent sexual activity, have been limited by their failure to recognize developmental differences in the relative weight of parent and peer influences between younger and older teens and by use of selected samples, resulting in a restriction of range. The current study differs in that it utilizes a clustered sample household survey of 329 males and females, aged 14 to 17, and 470 of their parents. Using multiple regression analysis, it was found that parents' reported behavioral norms account for 5% of the variance in whether adolescents have had intercourse, and for 33% of the variance in use of contraception at last intercourse. The study suggests that while parents' normative beliefs have limited effect in the decision to become sexually active, they have considerable impact on later contraceptive use.     

Risk taking as a predictor of adolescent sexual activity and use of contraception

A hypothesis of high-risk behaviors associated with adolescent sexual activity and lack of contraceptive use was tested in a longitudinal random sample of both male and female youths. The data were part of the Rutgers Health and Human Development Project. 1380 subjects were ascertained by random telephone calling were given self-report questionnaires and personality profiles including the Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale, and Jackson's Personality Research Form in 1979 and 1981. Incidence of sexual activity and use of contraceptives increased with age from age 12-21. Cohort effects were apparent with use of some contraceptive methods. Of the variables indicating risk- taking, disinhibition, impulsivity and experience seeking, there were significant associations between sexual activity and disinhibition and experience seeking, for females. There were no significant associations between these variables and sexual activity in males. Contrary to the hypothesis, there were no relationships between either consistency of birth control use or reliability of the method used and behavioral indicators of risk-taking. Thus this 1st study in the field that included both males and females from the general population, as opposed to college students, found that sexually active adolescents were higher risk-takers than virgins, but no relationship between risk-taking and effectiveness of contraception was observed.     

Looking, laughing, and smiling in dyads as a function of intimacy motivation and reciprocity

Eighty college students (40 females and 40 males) were administered the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and interviewed in either a one-way (interviewer asks questions) or reciprocal (interviewer asks questions and discloses information about him- or herself) condition by a same-sex interviewer. The TATs were scored for intimacy motivation. In this 2 (Female vs. Male) × 2 (High vs. Low Intimacy Motive) × 2 (Reciprocal vs. One-Way Condition) experiment, intimacy motivation was positively associated with greater levels of laughter, smiling, and eye contact for the entire sample, as hypothesized. Furthermore, women showed significantly higher scores than men on laughter, smiling, and eye contact. Contrary to a second hypothesis, high intimacy motivation combined with reciprocal condition did not yield the highest levels of laughter, smiling, and eye contact. The results extend the construct validation literature for intimacy motivation into the domain of nonverbal behaviors considered to be indicative of positive interpersonal regard in cordial human interactions.     

Sexual preference, gender, and blame attributions in adolescent sexual assault

The study investigated the impact of victim sexual orientation, perpetrator gender, and participant gender on judgements toward a 15-year-old male victim of a depicted sexual assault. One hundred and eight-eight participants (97 male, 91 female) read a hypothetical scenario depicting the sexual assault of a 15-year-old male victim where the victim's sexual orientation and the perpetrator's gender were varied between subjects. Participants then completed a questionnaire assessing their attributions toward both the victim and the perpetrator. Results revealed that male participants blamed the victim more than female participants when the victim was both gay and attacked by a male perpetrator. All participants, regardless of gender, made more positive judgements toward the female as opposed to male perpetrator. Results are discussed in relation to gender role stereotypes and homophobia.     

Multitrait-multimethod model of adolescent deviance,drug use,academic, and sexual behaviors

A multitrait-multimethod design was used to test Jessor and Jessor's (1977) problem behavior theory with a sample of adolescents, their parents, and peers. Behaviors included general deviance, drug use, low academic motivation, and precocious sexual behavior. While research has supported this theory, the reliance on self-report data for the majority of this work may threaten the validity of these findings. Results from hierarchical confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the convergent and discriminant validity of the seven behavior constructs was high and method effects were low. A two-factor second-order model, representing General Drug Use and Other Problem Behavior, accounted for a larger proportion of variance in the lower order factors compared to a single-factor model.This research was supported by Grant DA 03706 from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.     

On the association between sexual attraction and adolescent risk behavior involvement: Examining mediation and moderation

On the basis of a large-scale survey of high-school youth, the authors compared adolescents reporting exclusively heterosexual, mostly heterosexual, bisexual, and predominately same-sex attraction based on high-risk involvement across a range of risk behaviors. Bisexual and same-sex attracted groups were characterized by heightened high-risk involvement relative to the other two groups. Mediation analysis was used to determine whether these group disparities were explained by a set of normative predictive factors spanning multiple life domains. Differences among a combined exclusively/mostly heterosexual attraction group and both the bisexual and same-sex attraction groups were attenuated (66% and 50%, respectively) after incorporating the hypothesized intervening predictive factors, providing evidence of partial mediation. Primary mediators included intrapersonal (attitudes toward risk-taking; academic orientation), interpersonal (peer victimization; parental relationships; unstructured activities), and environmental (substance availability) factors. Mediation results were consistent across participant age and sex. Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Group counseling with adolescent special education students: challenges and useful procedures

While group counseling frequently is mandated for emotionally handicapped early adolescents, few studies have dealt with this population. This paper presents an overview of the challenges to offering group counseling with early adolescents. A set of methods of selecting students for group counseling is described, and group leadership and goals are presented. A series of useful therapeutic activities are also outlined.     

Gender-role's attitude, perceived similarity, and sexual prejudice against gay men

Two hundred and twenty-six heterosexual participants (115 women and 111 men) were asked to indicate their attitude toward gender-roles, their perceived similarities with gay men, and their attitude toward gay men (i.e., sexual prejudice). As expected, male participants showed more sexual prejudice than female participants, and perceived dissimilarities were related to a greater sexual prejudice. Support for gender-roles was related to sexual prejudice for male participants, but not for female participants. More interestingly, the three-way interaction suggested that perceived similarities moderated the link between gender-roles and sexual prejudice among heterosexual men, but not among heterosexual women. Attitude in favor of traditional gender-roles was related to sexual prejudice for male participants who perceived gay men as different, but not for those who perceived gay men as similar. These findings are discussed in terms of the defensive function of men's attitude toward homosexuality as a result of threat to masculinity.     

An investigation of verbal interaction, knowledge of sexual behavior and self-concept in adolescent mothers

Variables commonly considered to be major factors in contributing to the incidence of adolescent pregnancy may be only part of the total pattern. This study sought to examine the adolescent mothers' communication with significant others and their knowledge about sex, pregnancy, and birth control methods. Self-concepts of the adolescent mothers were compared with those of the published norms of the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. The study included 23 adolescent mothers between the ages of 13 and 19 who were gravida 1 as indicated by their medical records. They were given a questionnaire constructed from previous research. They also completed a communication scale and the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. The findings of the present study indicated that most adolescent mothers considered their communication with their parent mothers to be one of mutual understanding. However, it appears that most adolescent mothers obtain much of their information about sex, pregnancy, and birth control methods from significant others. The self-concepts of these adolescent mothers were lower in comparison to the norm. The results indicate a need for further research in the area of adolescent sexual development, sex education in the school, and increased involvement of parents in the communication of sexual mores.     

Prevalence of childhood and adolescent sexual abuse among sex offenders.

A simple nonstandardized questionnaire was developed and administered to 150 men convicted of various sexual offenses currently on probation or parole, living in the community, admitting their offenses and attending treatment. The hypothesis that men who engaged in sexual activity as adolescents with women would be at a higher risk of committing statutory rape-type sexual offenses was not substantiated.     

Childhood maltreatment, emotional distress, and early adolescent sexual intercourse: multi-informant perspectives on parental monitoring

This prospective investigation used multi-informant models to examine whether parental monitoring moderated associations between child maltreatment and either emotional distress or sexual intercourse. Data included 637 youth in the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). Child maltreatment was determined by lifetime Child Protective Service records and youth self-report and included sexual, physical, psychological abuse, and neglect (age 12). The moderating variable was youth- and caregiver-reported parental monitoring (age 12). Outcome variables were emotional distress (age 12) and sexual intercourse (age 14). Analyses included multi- and individual-informant models, adjusting for age, ethnicity/race, family income, and study site. Rates of parental monitoring did not differ by gender, but gender-specific analyses found that among girls, but not boys, youth-reported parental monitoring buffered the effect of maltreatment on emotional distress. Subtype analyses found that the buffering effects of monitoring on emotional distress were strongest for sexual and physical abuse and when youth experienced multiple subtypes of maltreatment. Caregiver-reported monitoring was not associated with reduced emotional distress. Youth and caregiver reports of parental monitoring were inversely associated with sexual intercourse, regardless of maltreatment history. Findings suggest that promoting parental monitoring among caregivers, and perceptions of monitoring among youth, may prevent early sexual intercourse regardless of maltreatment history. Promoting parental monitoring among youth with a history of maltreatment, especially girls or those who have experienced sexual or physical abuse or multiple subtypes of abuse, may reduce the likelihood of emotional distress.     

Early adolescent sexual debut: The mediating role of working memory ability, sensation seeking, and impulsivity

Although deficits in working memory ability have been implicated in suboptimal decision making and risk taking among adolescents, its influence on early sexual initiation has so far not been examined. Analyzing 2 waves of panel data from a community sample of adolescents (N = 347; Mean age[baseline] = 13.4 years), assessed 1 year apart, the present study tested the hypothesis that weak working memory ability predicts early sexual initiation and explored whether this relationship is mediated by sensation seeking and 2 forms of impulsivity, namely acting-without-thinking and temporal discounting. The 2 forms of impulsivity were expected to be positively associated with early sexual initiation, whereas sensation seeking was hypothesized to be unrelated or to have a protective influence, due to its positive association with working memory. Results obtained from structural equation modeling procedures supported these predictions and in addition showed that the effects of 3 prominent risk factors (Black racial identity, low socioeconomic background, and early pubertal maturation) on early sexual initiation were entirely mediated by working memory and impulsivity. The findings are discussed in regard to their implications for preventing early sexual onset among adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved).     

The influence of male and female best friends on adolescent sexual behavior

Using panel data from a junior high school system in an urban area of Florida, we examine whether adolescents' best same-sex and best opposite-sex friends' sexual intercourse behavior increases the likelihood that respondents who are virgins at round 1 will make the transition to intercourse between rounds of our study. We find no significant influence effects of friends of either sex for black males or females, or white males. In contrast, white females are influenced by the sexual behavior of both their best female friend and best male friend. A virgin white female whose best friends of both sexes were sexually experience at round 1 was almost certain to have sexual intercourse within the two years of our study.     

Delayed onset of drunkenness as a protective factor for adolescent alcohol misuse and sexual risk taking: a longitudinal study

A longitudinal structural equation model was tested to examine relationships among adolescent alcohol misuse, sexual risk-taking behaviors, parental monitoring, and demographic variables. Participants (N=561) were between the ages of 15-18 years old and were representative of the Buffalo, New York, metropolitan area. Two waves (separated by a year) of a larger longitudinal project were used. At each of these waves, ongoing (i.e., past year) alcohol misuse and sexual risk taking were measured. Age of onset of drunkenness and of sexual intercourse were also obtained. Among the major results were that later onset of drunkenness diminished future levels of alcohol misuse and sexual risk taking and that parental monitoring mitigated later levels of alcohol misuse. Also, single-parent family structure was directly related to sexual risk taking and indirectly related to greater alcohol misuse through lowered monitoring. Multiple-group modeling revealed that the essential features of the model were consistent across participant race and gender.