A model of premarital coitus and contraceptive behavior among female adolescents

A Conceptualization of Transition to Nonvirginity in Adolescent Females

Although adolescent sexual behavior has been of considerable interest to social scientists, most of the work in this area has been theoretically barren. This paper presents an outline of a conceptual model that incorporates a majority of the existing research on adolescent sexuality. Drawing upon principles from a macro-exchange framework, this model focuses upon the system of factors that affect adolescent females' transition to nonvirginity. Based upon the existing research, five major factors are presented: (a) Attractions Within the Family System, (b) Social Control Barrier, (c) Alternative Attractions, (d) Personal Readiness Characteristics, and (e) Social Milieu. It is proposed that the net effect of the interplay of these major spheres of influence results in a social-psychological condition of "transitional proneness" towards nonvirginity. General propositions and suggestions for future research are presented.

Female adolescents and onset of sexual intercourse: a theory-based review of research from 1984 to 1994

PURPOSE

To review a decade of research on the correlates of early onset of sexual intercourse among female adolescents in the United States, using Social Cognitive Theory as a framework for classification.

METHODS

Forty-nine studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1984 and 1994 were reviewed and their findings coded by two independent coders.

RESULTS

Findings indicate that most of the studies emphasized quantitative methodologies, using cross-sectional designs and univariate statistical analyses. Many studies lacked a theoretical framework or conceptual model to guide their investigations. When evaluating empirical findings, 61% of the studies found environmental correlates and 47% found biological factors (e.g., age and pubertal development) to be significantly associated with early initiation of sexual intercourse.

CONCLUSION

These findings raise important questions about the quality of research on adolescent sexuality, as well as its relationship to the development of risk-reduction programs which tend to focus mainly on intrapersonal factors (such as attitudes, knowledge, and expectancies.

Sexual behavior and contraceptive risk taking among sexually active adolescent females

Drawing on DeLamater's conceptual model of premarital contraceptive activity, this study assessed the relationships between various social, developmental, and behavioral variables and contraceptive risk taking by sexually active adolescent females. The hypotheses were tested on a national random sample of unmarried sexually active adolescent females (n = 1512) ages 15-20 years from Cycle III of the National Survey of Family Growth. The number of years the subjects had been sexually active was the strongest predictor of their frequency of sexual intercourse, followed by their frequency of attendance at religious services. The inverse relationship between religious attendance and coital frequency was much stronger among whites than blacks. When the influence of these variables on contraceptive risk taking was assessed, coital frequency explained 7.2% of the variation in contraceptive risk taking, with the number of years the adolescent had been dating explaining a small amount of additional variation. Our data support not only the first stage of DeLamater's conceptual model of premarital contraceptive activity, but also aspects of Jessor's more general theory of adolescent risk taking and problem behavior.