Doing It My Way: Sexual Intercourse, Romantic Relationship Inauthenticity, and Adolescent Mental Health

• In Event: 569 - Section on Children and Youth Paper Session. Children, Youth and Sexualities

Abstract

Numerous studies indicate early sexual intercourse increases adolescents’ risk of mental health problems. However, no research has examined whether the association between early sexual intercourse and mental health varies by relationship inauthenticity, or the level of incongruence between thoughts/feelings and actions within romantic relationships. Using data from a subset of romantically-involved Add Health respondents, we measured sexual involvement in romantic relationships and applied sequence analysis to reports of ideal and actual romantic relationship event sequences to measure inauthenticity within youth romances. Logistic regressions of severe depression indicated that the magnitude of the positive associations between sexual intercourse and girls’ mental health was most pronounced in relationships characterized by high levels of relationship inauthenticity and that there was no association between sexual intercourse and girls’ depression at low levels of relationship inauthenticity. Having sexual intercourse increased the odds of severe depression among boys, but relationship inauthenticity did not alter this association. We discuss the implications of these findings for research on adolescent sexuality and programs aimed at enhancing youth sexuality development.

Authors

• Brian Soller, University of New Mexico

• Dana L. Haynie, The Ohio State University

• Alena Kuhlemeier, University of New Mexico