Adolescent heterosexual experience: A new typology

Miller, Kim S.; Clark, Leslie F.; Wendell, Deborah; Levin, Martn L.; Gray‐Ray, Phyllis; Vélez, Christian; Webber, Mayris P.

doi:10.1016/s1054-139x(96)00182-6

Cited by 90 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…We used this information to determine whether or not a respondent initiated sexual intercourse between T1 and T3. We also measured, at each survey, lifetime levels of noncoital experience with a scale developed for this study based on a measure used by Miller et al [15]. Adolescents indicated whether they had ever 1) kissed,* 2) "made-out (kissed for a long time)," 3) touched a breast/had their breast touched,* 4) touched genitals/had their genitals touched, 5) given oral sex or received oral sex.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virginity Pledges Among the Willing: Delays in First Intercourse and Consistency of Condom Use

Martino

Elliott

Collins

et al. 2008

Journal of Adolescent Health

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Purpose-We examine longitudinal relationships between virginity pledging in adolescence and both sexual initiation and condom use. Prior studies have had mixed results and may not adequately control for pre-pledge differences between pledgers and non-pledgers.Methods-Data came from a national sample of 12-17 year olds surveyed in 2001 and reinterviewed 1 and 3 years later. Logistic regression models estimated the association between making a pledge and each outcome. Selection bias was reduced through propensity-score weighting and a rich set of demographic and psychosocial covariates.Results-Pledgers and non-pledgers differed substantially in pre-existing characteristics. However, after propensity-weighting and statistical controls, pledging was still associated with delayed intercourse. We estimate that in the absence of pledging 42.4% of virgins with characteristics indicating an inclination to pledge initiate intercourse within 3 years; in the presence of the pledge, 33.6%of such youth initiate intercourse. Among those who had sex during this period, pledging was unassociated with condom use. Among those who did not have sex during this period, pledging was unassociated with engagement in noncoital sexual behavior.Conclusions-Making a virginity pledge appears to be an effective means of delaying sexual intercourse initiation among those inclined to pledge without influencing other sexual behavior; pledging does not appear to affect sexual safety among pledgers who fail to remain abstinent.Nearly 800,000 teenagers become pregnant in the U.S. each year [1] and half of the approximately 19 million new STD infections diagnosed annually are among youth 15 to 24 years old [ 2]. Unplanned pregnancies and STDs are more common among those who begin sexual activity earlier [3]. Delaying sexual activity might therefore have important public health consequences.One approach to delaying sexual activity is the virginity pledge -a public declaration to abstain from sex until marriage. The first virginity pledge program was True Love Waits, founded by the Southern Baptist Church in 1993. The movement has since grown to include hundreds of churches, schools, and colleges across the country. Among adolescents in the United States, it is estimated that 23% of females and 16% of males have made a virginity pledge [4]. From a theoretical perspective, pledging may work by enhancing social norms to abstain from sex [ 5]; pledgers may believe, more so than others, that they will be held responsible to their peers or important adults to follow through on their public commitment.Correspondence regarding this manuscript can be sent to Steven C. Martino, RAND, 4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2665. Tel: 412-683-2300, ext. 4629. Fax: 412-683-2800 Through processes of cognitive dissonance or self-perception [6][7], pledging may also lead youth to internalize the commitment or values expressed in the pledge.Although these programs may delay sex, those who make a virginity pledge but fail to keep it may actually i...

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Virginity Pledges Among the Willing: Delays in First Intercourse and Consistency of Condom Use

Martino

Elliott

Collins

et al. 2008

Journal of Adolescent Health

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“…Twelve adolescents who reported intercourse experience at the baseline assessment but not at the follow-up assessment were classified as having had intercourse at both time points. We measured lifetime levels of noncoital experience with a scale developed for this study, based on a measure used by Miller et al 22 Adolescents indicated whether they had ever 1) kissed,* 2) "made-out" (kissed for a long time), 3) touched a breast/had their breast touched,* 4) touched genitals/had their genitals touched, or 5) given or received oral sex. Items with an asterisk were asked of all youths, and the others were asked only if the response to the item listed immediately before it was yes.…”

Section: Sexual Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Watching Sex on Television Predicts Adolescent Initiation of Sexual Behavior

et al. 2004

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ABSTRACT. Background. Early sexual initiation is an important social and health issue. A recent survey suggested that most sexually experienced teens wish they had waited longer to have intercourse; other data indicate that unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases are more common among those who begin sexual activity earlier. The American Academy of Pediatrics has suggested that portrayals of sex on entertainment television (TV) may contribute to precocious adolescent sex. Approximately two-thirds of TV programs contain sexual content. However, empirical data examining the relationships between exposure to sex on TV and adolescent sexual behaviors are rare and inadequate for addressing the issue of causal effects.Design and Participants. We conducted a national longitudinal survey of 1792 adolescents, 12 to 17 years of age. In baseline and 1-year follow-up interviews, participants reported their TV viewing habits and sexual experience and responded to measures of more than a dozen factors known to be associated with adolescent sexual initiation. TV viewing data were combined with the results of a scientific analysis of TV sexual content to derive measures of exposure to sexual content, depictions of sexual risks or safety, and depictions of sexual behavior (versus talk about sex but no behavior).Outcome Measures. Initiation of intercourse and advancement in noncoital sexual activity level, during a 1-year period.Results. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that adolescents who viewed more sexual content at baseline were more likely to initiate intercourse and progress to more advanced noncoital sexual activities during the subsequent year, controlling for respondent characteristics that might otherwise explain these relationships. The size of the adjusted intercourse effect was such that youths in the 90th percentile of TV sex viewing had a predicted probability of intercourse initiation that was approximately double that of youths in the 10th percentile, for all ages studied. Exposure to TV that included only talk about sex was associated with the same risks as exposure to TV that depicted sexual behavior. African American youths who watched more depictions of sexual risks or safety were less likely to initiate intercourse in the subsequent year.Conclusions. Watching sex on TV predicts and may hasten adolescent sexual initiation. Reducing the amount of sexual content in entertainment programming, reducing adolescent exposure to this content, or increasing references to and depictions of possible negative consequences of sexual activity could appreciably delay the initiation of coital and noncoital activities. Alternatively, parents may be able to reduce the effects of sexual content by watching TV with their teenaged children and discussing their own beliefs about sex and the behaviors portrayed. Pediatricians should encourage these family discussions. Pediatrics 2004;114:e280 -e289. URL: http: //www.pediatrics.org/cgi/content/full/114/3/e280; condoms, media, sex, television.ABBREVIATIONS....

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“…Item responses were summed to create a heavy petting behavior score. This series of items is similar to one used by Miller et al (1997).…”

Section: Heavy Petting Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, some persons who are virgins may be in the process of becoming sexually active and may be engaging in very different behaviors than persons who want to avoid intercourse. For example, Miller et al (1997) found that adolescents recruited from public schools in Alabama, New York, and Puerto Rico who anticipated becoming sexually active engaged in more "pre-coital behaviors" (i.e., kissing, rubbing bodies, and genital touching) than did those who were delaying vaginal intercourse.…”

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confidence: 99%

Sexual abstinence and the Sexual Abstinence Behavior Scale*1

Norris

Clark

Magnus

2003

Journal of Pediatric Health Care

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Introduction: Nurses may choose to promote sexual abstinence, particularly when they are working with young adolescents. However, it is difficult to know how to intervene because sexual abstinence has not been well defined in the literature. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometrics of a four-item measure of sexual abstinence behavior (the SABS) that both registered nurses and advanced practice nurses may find useful in their practice. Method: African American, middle school students (n = 113) completed a self-administered questionnaire during their health education class. The questionnaire contained the SABS along with items assessing demographics, sexual behavior, and psychosocial variables related to sexual behavior. Results: Psychometric analysis supported SABS reliability (α = .73) and validity. For example, SABS scores correlated with perceived negative consequences of teen sex (r = 0.38) and sexual abstinence self-efficacy (r = 0.48). Discussion: Although the SABS is still in a preliminary stage of development, it is useful for assessment purposes and for directing registered nurses and advanced practice nurses toward specific behaviors they may want to promote when teaching sexual abstinence to their young adolescent patients.

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Adolescent heterosexual experience: A new typology

Cited by 90 publications

References 21 publications

Virginity Pledges Among the Willing: Delays in First Intercourse and Consistency of Condom Use

Virginity Pledges Among the Willing: Delays in First Intercourse and Consistency of Condom Use

Watching Sex on Television Predicts Adolescent Initiation of Sexual Behavior

Sexual abstinence and the Sexual Abstinence Behavior Scale*1

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