Teen Girls’ Reproductive Attitudes and the Timing and Sequencing of Sexual Behaviors

Citation

Guzzo, Karen Benjamin; Lang, Vanessa Wanner; & Hayford, Sarah R. (2019). Teen Girls' Reproductive Attitudes and the Timing and Sequencing of Sexual Behaviors. Journal of Adolescence Health, 65(4), 507-513. PMCID: PMC6755050

Abstract

PURPOSE: Teen girls consider not only health outcomes, such as pregnancy or contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI), but also social outcomes, such as guilt or embarrassment, when making decisions about sexual behaviors.
METHODS: Following a sample of female virgins aged 15-18 years from wave I through wave IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (N = 2,376), we tested whether adolescent girls' attitudes toward sex, contraception, pregnancy, and STIs influence the timing of coital debut, using discrete time event history logistic regression, and whether oral sex precedes coital debut, using logistic regression.
RESULTS: Concerns about negative social consequences of sex were associated with later coital debut (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=.79, p = .000), whereas perceived physical benefits of sex and positive attitudes toward contraception were associated with earlier coital debut (AOR = 1.09, p = .049 and AOR = 1.17, p = .002, respectively). Worries about pregnancy were not associated with the timing of coital debut but did predict having oral sex before vaginal sex (AOR = 1.33, p = .007). Favorable birth control attitudes and positive attitudes toward sex also increased the odds of oral sex before vaginal sex (AOR = 1.38, p = .008 and AOR = 1.47, p = .000, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: Teen girls' worries about the emotional and social consequences of sex may be a more salient predictor of the timing of coital debut than concerns about the risk of pregnancy or STIs. Teen girls' fears coexist with positive views about sex and contraception, which are associated with earlier sex and sexual sequencing.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2019.05.018

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2019

Journal Title

Journal of Adolescence Health

Author(s)

Guzzo, Karen Benjamin
Lang, Vanessa Wanner
Hayford, Sarah R.

Article Type

Regular

PMCID

PMC6755050

Data Set/Study

National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health)

Continent/Country

United States of America

State

Nonspecific

Sex/Gender

Women

ORCiD

Guzzo - 0000-0001-9718-8465