Deciding Whether to have Sex Before Marriage: Who do Adolescents Listen To?

• In Event: 534 - Section on Children and Youth Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 06. Sexual Behaviors, Risk, and Debut

Abstract

In this paper, we tested assumptions in social psychological theories about the association between an adolescent's perception of the social environment regarding sexual risk taking, and their actual attitudes and intentions regarding sex in the next six months. Using survey data from 617 adolescents in geographic areas known to be at high risk for teen pregnancies, births, and STIs, we examined the advice they perceive from others about whether to have sex before marriage. Measures of both the recommendations, and the importance they place on those recommendations were utilized. We found that the perception of a strong message to wait until marriage was associated with lesser intentions to have sex in the next six months. These messages came mainly from parents, religious leaders, and teachers. The intensity of the message to not wait until marriage was highest among friends, and it was not associated with positive sexual intentions. Overall, the strongest predictor of intentions to have sex was prior sexual experience.

Authors

• Christopher Donoghue, Montclair State University

• Consuelo Bonillas, Kean University

• Jeniffer Rodriguez, Kean University

• Omara Cardoza, Kean University

• Melissa Cheung, Kean University