Review articleTransitions in Body and Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Study on the Relationship Between Pubertal Development and Adolescent Sexual Behavior
Section snippets
The present study
The primary objective of the present meta-analysis is to examine and quantify the association between pubertal status and timing with sexual behavior and risky sexual behavior. With this meta-analysis, we answer the following questions: Within the research literature published between 1980 and 2012, are pubertal timing and status related to sexual behavior and sexual risk behavior? If related, is this relation moderated by the way pubertal development is assessed (pubertal status or pubertal
Sample of studies
We searched four electronic databases (Scopus, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and PsycINFO) using variations and Boolean connectors of the key terms such as pubertal development, menarche, spermarche, spermatogenesis, breast development, adrenarche, gonadarche, oogenesis, adolescents, and sexual behavior. To supplement these searches, we searched reference lists of reviewed studies and contacted key authors in the field. To be included in the meta-analysis, studies had to be: (1) published in a
Description of studies: overview of included studies
Initially, 70 studies were found. In total, 50 independent studies met the inclusion criteria, with a total of 112 effect sizes. Table 1 presents the included studies across the separate meta-analyses. Samples included a total of 87,334 adolescents (min = 41, max = 5,700). The mean ages of the adolescents in these studies ranged from 10.5 to 22.4 years, with an overall mean of 15.10 years (standard deviation, 2.82). Of the included effect sizes, 51 were all girl samples, 32 were all boy
Discussion
With the present study, we show the first meta-analytical results of the relation between pubertal development and adolescent sexual behavior. Our results indicated that those adolescents with an early pubertal timing engaged in earlier, more advanced, and more risky sexual behavior. Also, those adolescents with a more advanced pubertal status engaged in earlier and more advanced sexual behavior.
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