Sex Between Young Teens and Older Individuals: A Demographic Portrait

Abstract

Over the past decade, considerable legal and policy discussion has emerged about sexual activity between young teens and older individuals. This discussion has been prompted by the growing awareness of the personal and societal costs of this activity. Sex between young teens and older individuals is linked with risky sexual behaviors that could lead to unintended pregnancy and childbearing, as well as to sexually transmitted infections. Among sexually experienced teens, having sex with someone who is older has been associated with reduced and inconsistent use of contraception, 1-3 including reduced use of condoms, 4 and a greater risk of a teen pregnancy. 5 More than one in four babies born to mothers between the ages of 15 and 17 were fathered by someone who was five or more years older. 6 On average, young teens who have sex with an older individual report a larger number of sexual partners during the high school years and higher levels of drug and alcohol use than do other sexually experienced teens. 7,8 Some studies of male and female middle school and high school teens also have found that those who were dating an older individual were more likely than were those who were dating a similar-aged individual to engage in sexual intercourse in that relationship. 9-11 And early sexual activity, in itself, is linked to a host of negative outcomes, including having a greater number of sexual partners, a reduced likelihood of using contraception, and a greater likelihood of getting pregnant and giving birth during the teen years. 12 Some research on adolescent brain development provides a larger context for these patterns; this research suggests that young teens are not prepared cognitively to make significant life decisions, including decisions about sex and contraception. 13

Older Sexual Partners During Adolescence: Links to Reproductive Health Outcomes in Young Adulthood

“…Thus, young female teenagers who have sex with an older partner have an elevated risk of childbearing outside marriage partly because of their number of sexual partners in adolescence. This finding supports other research linking sex with older partners with an increased number of sexual relationships, 12,18 and supports an association between a greater number of sexual partners and adverse outcomes such as reduced contraceptive use and increased teenage pregnancy risk. 14 In addition, for females, having ever had a nonromantic partner is associated with increased odds of acquiring an STD.…”

“…Yet, more than one-quarter of teenagers whose first sexual relationship occurred before age 16 with a partner three or more years their senior were male. 12 Findings for males have been mixed: One study showed poorer contraceptive use among males who had had older partners, 4 and another showed no association. 7 Therefore, it is important to investigate the influence of age and partners' age difference on both males' and females' sexual health risks using longitudinal data.…”

Intergenerational associations between a consensual childhood sexual experience and adult substance abuse among Latina mothers and daughters

“…Sexual activity for any teenage girl is risky due to multiple factors such as elevated risk of sexually transmitted infections (STI) and unwanted pregnancy. Girls who experience sex at the age of 15 years or younger are a particularly high risk subset for other physical and psychosocial health problems 4. These younger girls have been found to be more likely than boys to have sex with an older individual and more likely to be a victim of instances of involuntary or unwanted sex 4,5.…”

Correlates of High School Freshman Girls' Reported Reasons for Engaging in Sexual Intercourse

“…Girls whose sexual debut occurred with an older partner were twice as likely to report it was not voluntary than girls whose first sexual partner whose age was similar . In addition, more than 50% of girls 14 or younger who had sex reported their partners to be at least 3 years older at the time of intercourse …”

“…20 In addition, more than 50% of girls 14 or younger who had sex reported their partners to be at least 3 years older at the time of intercourse. 21 Adolescents who became sexually active earlier than their peers are more likely to report using drugs or alcohol at last intercourse and are also more likely to develop a substance use disorder. 5,22,23 Among sexually active high school students, over 21% reported using drugs or alcohol during their most recent sexual encounter.…”