Developmental and Personalogical Correlates of Adolescent Sexual Behavior and Outcome

Abstract

An extensive literature has developed which explores the sociological and psychological characteristics of sexually active adolescents. A more recent to sexual decision making provides a useful research paradigm for approaching issues of adolescent sexual behavior and outcomes. In a study of 206 adolescent females in St. Paul and Minneapolis, developmental and personalogical characteristics were examined for four groups: successful contraceptors, aborters, mothers, and pregnant teens. Aborters were characterized by their highly developed future time perspective and modern sex role orientation. Mothers had the least developed future time perspective and sense of personal efficacy, and the most traditional sex role orientation. They also tended to be highly anxious, passive, dependent, and prone toward denial as a cognitive style. Successful contraceptors were best described by their complex cognition and ego development, although contrary to expectation, did not evidence a more well developed future time perspective or modern sex role orientation than did aborters. Pregnant teens had the least distinguishing characteristics of all groups. Implications for future comparative group analyses are discussed including both the sociological and developmental assessment of sexual decision making and its consequences for youth.

Assessing the Effects of the Dating Violence Prevention Program “Safe Dates” Using Random CoefficientRegression Modeling

“…According to cognitive-developmental theories, children form gender-role norms and then, as adolescents, they strive to become like the categories they created (Bem, 1981). Perceived gender-role norms have been found to influence many different adolescent behaviors, including academic performance, later career choices, and thus later income (Tallichet & Willits, 1986;Worell, 1982), likelihood of using contraceptives (Resnick & Blum, 1985), and sexual behavior (Foshee & Bauman, 1992). Traditional gender role norms put females in a submissive position relative to males and males in positions of power and authority.…”

Health Status and Behavioral Outcomes for Youth Who Anticipate a High Likelihood of Early Death

“…5 Research from the late 1960s onward demonstrated that future time perspective, the ability to connect present behaviors with concrete, personal future consequences, was widely variable during adolescence. 6,7 Altogether, it became an accepted understanding that selfjeopardizing behaviors among adolescents emanated, in good measure, from a diminished sense of risk and vulnerability, expressed by Elkind's aphoristic phrase, "It can't happen to me." 5 There are repeated reports, however, that adolescents can and do feel vulnerable to negative health outcomes, including violence victimization, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections.…”

An exploration of pregnant teenagers' views of the future and their decisions to continue or terminate their pregnancy: implications for nursing care

“…Future considerations seem to play an important part in the decision that teenagers reach in choosing birth or a ToP (e.g. Resnick & Blum , Lee et al . ).…”

“…). Resnick and Blum () found that adolescents choosing ToP had a greater ability to conceptualise and anticipate the future than those choosing birth. Hallden et al .…”

“…A number of studies have indicated that aspects of the future may be important in the decision to continue or terminate an adolescent pregnancy (e.g., Resnick & Blum , Tabberer et al . , Lee et al .…”