Looking Back: The Experience of First Sexual Intercourse and Current Sexual Adjustment in Young Heterosexual Adults

Abstract

A young person's first consensual sexual intercourse experience is often a remarkable and memorable experience. However, little systematic information exists regarding contextual factors of first intercourse, the affective salience of the experience, possible effects on sexual attitudes and beliefs, and subsequent sexual development and adjustment. This retrospective study aimed to examine these in a sample of 475 young adults. Overall, young men and women experienced intercourse for the first time around age 17, were in a committed relationship, and reported positive affective responses. Affective reactions to the first sexual intercourse experience, sexual self-efficacy, sexual aversion, and age at first intercourse affected individuals' current sexual adjustment; however, only sexual self-efficacy mediated between first intercourse and current sexual adjustment in young men and women. Older age at first intercourse was associated with less sexual self-efficacy and lower current sexual adjustment for women. This study provides initial data to suggest that the first sexual intercourse experience significantly impacts current sexual adjustment by affecting beliefs about sexual self-efficacy.

Blame It on the Alcohol: The Influence of Alcohol Consumption During Adolescence, the Transition to Adulthood, and Young Adulthood on One-Time Sexual Hookups

“…The mean age of first sexual intercourse was 16.95 (SD ¼ 2.98), with 31.4% of the participants having had their first sexual experiences at age 15 or earlier, 31.9% between ages 16 and 17, and the remaining 36.7% at age 18 or later. This aligns with previous research reporting a mean age of first sex between 16 and 17 years old for men and women in North America (Eriksson & Humphreys, 2014;Reissing, Andruff, & Wentland, 2012). Regarding sexual orientation, the majority of this subsample self-identified as ''100% heterosexual'' (n ¼ 3309; 88.6%) and the other 11.4% of the sample (n ¼ 424) identified as a sexual minority (e.g., same-sex, bisexual, or asexual orientation).…”

Casual sexual relationships: Identifying definitions for one night stands, booty calls, fuck buddies, and friends with benefits

“…The average age of first intercourse reported in many North American and European studies is 17 years (e.g., Reissing et al, 2012;Tsui & Nicoladis, 2004;Wellings et al, 2001). Participants who have not engaged in this sexual developmental milestone by age 19 may not be engaging in other typical late adolescence relationship experiences (e.g., experimentation with relationship formations or partner types).…”

“…Young adults were expected to distinguish between Friends with Benefits and Fuck Buddy relationships (Mongeau et al, 2013;Weaver et al, 2011). Late adolescence appears to be an important period during which experimentation with different types of sexual interactions is normative; some studies suggest this sexual learning may have positive effects on later sexual adjustment (e.g., Reissing, Andruff, & Wentland, 2012;Woo & Brotto, 2008). In line with this argument, it was expected that individuals with sexual intercourse experience would be more adept at differentiating CSR definitions compared to individuals without sexual intercourse experience and those with personal CSR experience would be best at identifying the CSRs.…”

Sexual risk at first coitus: Does alcohol make a difference?

“…It occurs against a backdrop of other developmental, social and cultural factors that define the experience and shape personal sex-related expectancies and scripts that direct the trajectory of future sexual behavior (Armour & Haynie, 2007; Else-Quest, Hyde, & DeLamater, 2005; Laumann et al, 1994; Reissing, Andruff, & Wentland, 2012). The characteristics of the first coitus event (e.g., timing, consent, affective reaction) can impact subsequent sexual functioning and behavior (Reissing et al, 2012; Sandfort, Orr, Hirsch, & Santelli, 2008). Thus, the study of early sexual behavior, including first coitus, may shed light on the factors that contribute to both sexual risk and well-being among adolescent females.…”