Abstract
This study supports a model of adolescents' risky sexual behavior in which this behavior is seen as a product of the same peer and family factors which influence a wide range of problem behaviors. The Pattersonet al. (1992) model of peer and parental factors associated with adolescents' sexual risk-taking behavior was tested on three independent samples of adolescents, ages 14 through 18. Adolescents whose peers were reported to engage in diverse problem behaviors were more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior. Poor parental monitoring and parent-child coercive interactions were associated having deviant peers, and poor parental monitoring also had a direct relationship to risky sexual behavior. Family involvement was associated with fewer parent-child coercive interactions. Less availability of parental figures in the family was directly associated with risky sexual behavior and was also associated with poorer parental monitoring.
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Preparation of this paper was supported in part by Grants HD26249 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, MH45651 from the National Institute of Mental Health, and CA44648 and CA38272 from the National Cancer Institute.
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Metzler, C.W., Noell, J., Biglan, A. et al. The social context for risky sexual behavior among adolescents. J Behav Med 17, 419–438 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01858012
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01858012