Motivations for Maintaining Virginity Among US Adolescents.

PURPOSE: This study describes trends in virginity and the motivations for maintaining virginity between 2006 and 2019 among 15- to 19-year-old adolescents in the United States. METHODS: We used logistic regression and the margins command in Stata to estimate the proportion reporting virginity and the primary motivation for virginity during each survey period and the lincom command to facilitate statistical comparisons across time. RESULTS: The proportion of males reporting virginity increased (from 56% to 61%), and the distribution of reasons for maintaining virginity shifted over time. Most females and males reported not having "found the right person" (16%-25% for females; 26%-35% for males), and a small percentage of females reported religion and morality (39%-27%) as motivations for abstinence. DISCUSSION: The calculus of adolescents' sexual decision-making is changing, pointing to a need for new, longitudinal data aimed at clarifying the role of sexual (in)activity in teens' lives.

Timing of First Sexual Experience with a Same-Sex Partner: A Life Course Approach.

Theories of sexual identity development recognize the initiation of sexual experience with same-sex partners (SESSP) to be a significant event in the coming-out process, yet the research literature lacks a population-based description of its timing and variation across population subgroups. Using data from the 2011-2017 National Survey of Family Growth and guided by the life course paradigm, we explored the timing and correlates of first SESSP among individuals (1425 women; 545 men) who identified as lesbian (n = 307), gay (n = 285), or bisexual (n = 1378) (LGB). Descriptive findings revealed that the median age at first SESSP was about 19 years for lesbian women and gay men and one to two years later for bisexual women and men. Notably, initiation of SESSP occurred over a wide age range, particularly among bisexual men. Multivariable results indicated that the probability of first SESSP did not vary by demographic characteristics or family background among men. Among women, nativity status, family stability, and independent living were associated with probability of first SESSP. Coital experience predicted timing among both women and men. Tests for statistical interactions suggested that age at first SESSP was contingent on mother's education (women), sexual identity (men), family stability (men), and birth cohort (women and men). Our findings highlight the complicated nature of LGB sexual experiences, and we end with a call for greater effort to ensure that LGB individuals are represented in national surveys designed to provide data on sexual and reproductive health.

Condom Use at First Vaginal Intercourse Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States, 2002-2017.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe trends in vaginal intercourse (VI) and condom use during first VI from 2002 to 2017 among never-married 15- to 24-year-olds in the United States. METHODS: Data come from the National Survey of Family Growth. We used logistic regression and Stata's margins package to estimate the percentage reporting VI and condom use at first VI and to conduct statistical comparisons across time. RESULTS: VI was stable for 20- to 24-year-old men, but their condom use increased after 2002. For 15- to 19-year-old men, VI declined after 2011-2015 but condom use increased (83%). Among women, the overall percentage reporting VI and partner's condom use was stable, despite a significant increase in condom use among 15- to 19-year-olds between 2006-2010 and 2011-2015 (69%-75%). CONCLUSIONS: Condom use at first intercourse increased among young men, but a similar pattern was not observed for young women. Understanding why is crucial to the formulation of strategies to increase condom uptake.

Health and Health Behavior Concordance between Spouses in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Marriages.

Research shows that heterosexual spouses are concordant on a variety of health and health behavior outcomes. Yet, little is known about patterns of concordance between spouses in same-sex marriages, or whether concordance patterns differ for spouses in same- and different-sex marriages. Using descriptive techniques, we analyze survey data from both spouses in 121 gay, 168 lesbian, and 122 heterosexual married couples to examine health and health behavior concordance. We find that gay and lesbian couples are more concordant than heterosexual couples on several health and health behavior outcomes. Differences in concordance between gay and lesbian couples are also found. Findings suggest that the pathways through which concordance occurs may differ in important ways for same-sex and different-sex unions.

Oral Sex and Condom Use in a U.S. National Sample of Adolescents and Young Adults.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to examine correlates associated with condom use at the last oral sex, as well as oral sex behavior, among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) aged 15-24 years in the U.S. METHODS: Descriptive statistics, logistic regression, and multinomial logistic regression were conducted using data collected from 3,816 females and 3,520 males in the 2011-2015 National Survey of Family Growth. RESULTS: More than half of AYAs had engaged in oral sex with an opposite-sex partner. Most youth reported having at least one oral sex partner in the last 12 months, with 16% of females and 24% of males reporting two or more partners. Condom use at the last oral sex was quite low (8% for females and 9% for males). Black males (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.46), black females (AOR = 2.65), and females of other race/ethnicities (AOR = 2.40) were more likely to use a condom at the last oral sex. Females aged 20-24 years (AOR = .31), females whose mothers had a college education or more (AOR = .43), and males and females who reported no intercourse experience were less likely to use a condom at the last oral sex (AORs = .46 and .20, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that oral sex with an opposite-sex partner is a normative behavior for AYAs; however, condom use during this sexual activity is uncommon. Interactive workshops and physician-patient discussions focused on the health risk risks associated with oral sex, as well as appropriate methods of protection, may help to increase condom uptake.

Timing of Sexual Initiation and Relationship Satisfaction in Young Adult Marital and Cohabiting Unions.

Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, this research examines the association between timing of oral sex initiation and marital and cohabiting relationship satisfaction among young adults. Findings indicate that women who transition to oral sex "late" or who have no oral sex experience report higher levels of relationship satisfaction in their current coresidential unions than do women who transition at a "normative" age. Higher levels of relationship satisfaction among women who transition "late," however, appear to be explained by their lower likelihood of experiencing forced sexual relations and sexually transmitted infections. We find no evidence of any association between timing of oral sex initiation and relationship satisfaction among men. To best promote healthy relationships, researchers, practitioners, and educators need to better understand the various types of sexual activities in which young people engage.

Binge Drinking and Depression: The Influence of Romantic Partners in Young Adulthood.

Although research shows that spouses influence each other's health behaviors and psychological well-being, we know little about whether these patterns extend to young people in nonmarital as well as marital relationships. We use the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to consider how a romantic partner's binge drinking and depression influence the respondent's binge drinking and depression within 1,111 young adult couples and explore whether these processes are moderated by gender. We find that partners' binge drinking is associated with increased odds of binge drinking for respondents, and partners' depression is associated with increased odds of depression for respondents. Further, depression among men is associated with reduced odds of binge drinking among their female partners. Findings suggest that processes of partner influence begin even in young adulthood with implications for cumulative effects on lifelong health behaviors and mental health.

Binge Drinking in Young Adulthood: The Influence of Age at First Intercourse and Rate of Sex Partner Accumulation.

There has been growing attention to the influence of youths' sexual experiences on alcohol use and other health-risk behaviors. Yet, because of the cross-sectional nature of many studies, as well as the likelihood of alcohol use and sexual behaviors to co-occur, the question of whether initiation of sexual activity tends to precede engagement in other behaviors, like binge drinking, remains largely unanswered. Using data from 4726 respondents who participated in Waves I through IV of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we examined the association between age at first intercourse and frequent binge drinking during one's mid-twenties and early thirties. We further explored whether this relationship was mediated or moderated by the rate at which individuals accumulated sex partners during the transition to adulthood. Findings showed for women and men, later ages at first intercourse were associated with lower odds of frequent binge drinking in young adulthood. While rate of sex partner accumulation partially mediated this association, it did not moderate it. Furthermore, rate of partner accumulation was positively associated with binge drinking, particularly among women, with a quicker accumulation of sex partners associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in frequent binge drinking. Our findings underscore the importance of considering multiple dimensions of a single behavior and their relation to subsequent health-related behaviors.

Vaginal and Oral Sex Initiation Timing: A Focus on Gender and Race/Ethnicity.

OBJECTIVES: Most previous studies on sexual initiation timing have examined its effects on a variety of subsequent outcomes without first examining the correlates and predictors of these timing categories. Studies that do exist often do not utilize samples through young adulthood, leading to a misclassified set of sexual timing categories. In addition, the literature does not adequately address the issues of oral sex timing. Therefore, the objectives of this study were 1) to explore age-cutoffs that mark the "normative" and "non-normative" entry into vaginal and oral sex among young women and men in the U.S., creating sexual four sexual initiation timing categories - "early," "normative," "late," and "inexperienced," and; 2) to examine the association between race/ethnicity and sexual initiation timing by gender. METHODS: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) was used in both descriptive and multivariate contexts to determine the net association of gender and race/ethnicity with vaginal and oral sex initiation timing. RESULTS: Age-cutoffs for vaginal sex timing were similar for women and men, yet differed by gender for oral sex timing. Women were more likely than men to initiate vaginal sex (20% vs. 18%) and oral sex (19% vs. 16%) at an early age and less likely than men to initiate these behaviors at a late age (18% vs. 19% for vaginal sex, and 15% vs. 16% for oral sex). Although most respondents initiated these two behaviors by young adulthood, a considerable proportion remained inexperienced, with men more likely than women to report inexperience with vaginal sex (7% vs. 5%), and women more likely than men to report abstaining from oral sex (8% vs. 6%). Race/ethnic differences in sexual initiation timing remained robust in the face of controls for both women and men. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the timing at which adolescents and young adults transition to first vaginal and first oral sex is critical for sex education curriculum and policy makers.