Teens With Positive Attitudes Toward Delaying Sex Less Likely To Initiate Sex, Study Says

Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 15 Jan 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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Teenagers with positive attitudes about delaying sexual activity usually are less likely to become sexually active within the next year, according to a study in the January issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Reuters Health reports. Susan Gray of the Boston University School of Medicine and colleagues in 1999 surveyed 11,448 adolescents between ages 12 and 17 who reported never having had sexual intercourse. Of the 7,661 participants who also completed a follow-up survey in 2000, 7.5% of the boys and 10.1% of the girls reported having had sexual intercourse during the previous year, the researchers said.

The researchers used the "postponing sexual initiation" scale to identify teens at higher risk for initiating sexual intercourse. Gray said the scientifically-validated scale provided an accurate indication of the teens' intent to initiate sexual activity. The boys and girls who indicated that they might or would initiate sex were significantly more likely to report having sex within the following year. According to Gray, the survey found that teens were less likely to initiate sexual activity if they:

• Thought that their friends were not having sex;
  
  
• Reported that they had not met the right partner;
  
  
• Said that they had not been in a comfortable situation to have sex;
  
  
• Reported that their parents and health care providers objected to it; and
  
  
• Indicated that it was against their personal beliefs.

The survey also indicated that the teens "were almost universally fearful of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections," Gray said, adding that the concern did not affect their decision to have sex in the next year.

The researchers said that the postponing sexual initiation scale might help pediatricians gauge adolescents' views on the topic and be a valuable tool for measuring the effectiveness of sex education curricula, Reuters Health reports. "Teens' beliefs and attitudes about sex determine their sexual intentions, and their sexual intentions determine their sexual activity," Gray said, adding that parents and educators should do more than warn teens about pregnancy and STIs if they want to promote abstinence successfully (Hendry, Reuters Health, 1/10).

The abstract of the study is available online.

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