Original articleOlder boyfriends and girlfriends increase risk of sexual initiation in young adolescents
Section snippets
Sample
Data were collected from a total of 2829 sixth-grade students at 19 urban, ethnically diverse middle schools in Northern California. Data reported here are from the baseline survey of students being followed longitudinally for 30 months to evaluate the impact of a human immunodefiency virus (HIV), other sexually transmitted disease (STD), and pregnancy prevention curriculum. Students completed this survey in Spring 1997, before the intervention began.
Response rate
Active parental consent was required for
Results
A total of 2509 students answered the sexual behavior question, and 2730 students answered the question on the age of their oldest boyfriend or girlfriend. Table 1 presents students’ demographic characteristics, perceived peer norms, and unwanted sexual advances score, stratified by age of boyfriend or girlfriend. Over half of the respondents (56.4%) had never had a serious boyfriend or girlfriend, 35.1% reported that their oldest boyfriend or girlfriend was ≤2 years older, and 8.5% reported a
Discussion
Considering the results of our analyses, a picture or profile of those sixth graders most at risk of early sexual involvement emerges. Girls who experience early sexual development, boys and girls who are less focused on school or are not doing well, who report experiences of sexual coercion, who hang out with older peers and peers who are already sexually experienced, and who are Hispanic are more likely to have relationships with older boyfriends or girlfriends. Sexually experienced students
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Steve Gregorich, Ph.D., for data analytic advice; Deborah Ivie, Tiffany Chinn, and the data collectors for support in data collection, coding, and clean up; Don Chambers, Ph.D., Margaret M. Dolcini, Ph.D., and Hector Carrillo, Dr.P.H., for thoughtful comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript; and Romy Benard for assistance with manuscript preparation. This research was funded by National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH 51515.
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