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.

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.

The role of family relationships in the psychological wellbeing of interracially dating adolescents.

We use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to examine the role of family relationships in explaining why interracially dating youth have poorer psychological wellbeing than youth with same-race partners. Results indicate that interracial daters experience more symptoms of depression and anxiety and poorer family relationships than do same-race daters. The additive effects of their lower levels of family support and poorer quality parent-child relationships, however, do little to explain interracial daters' more negative wellbeing outcomes. The negative effects of interracial dating hold similarly for boys and girls and among White and Black youth. Interracial dating less negatively effects the depressive symptomatology of Hispanics, though, and actually appears to "protect" Asian youth from depressive symptoms. Our findings highlight the psychological wellbeing risks faced by many interracially dating youth and the protective benefits of close and supportive family relationships for romantically-involved adolescents in general.

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.

Sexual orientation and substance use among adolescents and young adults.

OBJECTIVES: We examined interrelationships among the 3 dimensions of sexual orientation-self-identity, sexual attraction, and sexual experience-and their associations with substance use among adolescents and young adults. METHODS: To estimate total and net associations of sexual identity, attraction, and experience with use of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol, we applied logistic regression to cross-sectional data from the National Survey of Family Growth Cycle 6. RESULTS: We found a lack of concordance among the different dimensions of sexual orientation. More youths reported same-gender sexual attraction and same-gender sexual experiences than identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. Estimates of substance use prevalence differed significantly by gender and across dimensions of sexual orientation. Sexual experience was the most consistent predictor of substance use. Women and men with no sexual experience had the lowest odds of all forms of substance use; those reporting sexual experience with partners of both genders had the highest odds. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that sexual identity was less strongly associated with substance use than sexual experience and attraction were, pointing to the need for more nuanced indicators of sexual orientation in public health studies.

Patterns and correlates of same-sex sexual activity among U.S. teenagers and young adults.

CONTEXT: Little is known about the prevalence and correlates of same-sex sexual activity among teenagers and young adults, particularly those who do not identify themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual. Effective interventions to prevent STDs require accurate understanding of youths' sexual behavior. METHODS: Descriptive and regression analyses of data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth examined patterns and correlates of same-sex sexual activity among a sample of 2,688 never-married, noncohabiting men and women aged 15-21. Same-sex behavior was assessed separately by gender, as well as by heterosexual experience and sexual attraction and identity. RESULTS: Eleven percent of women and 4% of men reported same-sex sexual experience. Youth who were attracted only to the opposite sex had a decreased likelihood of reporting same-sex activity (rate ratio, 0.1 for each gender), while women and men who identified themselves as homosexual or bisexual had an elevated likelihood of such activity (5.1 and 5.9, respectively). However, among women who were attracted exclusively to men, those who had had heterosexual sex were more than four times as likely as those who had not to have engaged in same-sex activity. Finally, among youth who reported any same-sex attraction, women and men who said they were homosexual or bisexual had an elevated likelihood of having engaged in same-sex behavior (4.7 and 5.6, respectively). CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of "straight" youth engage in same-sex activity, and so information on risks associated with such behavior should be included in sex education programs and targeted to all youth.

Trajectories of depressive symptoms, dopamine D2 and D4 receptors, family socioeconomic status and social support in adolescence and young adulthood.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is two-fold. First, we tested the association between dopamine D2 and D4 receptors and a trajectory of depressive symptoms in adolescence and young adulthood. Second, we reestimated the association between the dopamine receptors and depression after taking into account the effects of socioeconomic disparity and child-parent ties and social support. METHODS: The study uses the DNA sample of approximately 2500 individuals in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Each individual was measured three times in 1994, 1996, and 2002. RESULTS: This study has yielded robust associations of the DRD2 and DRD4 variants with depressive symptoms among male adolescents and young adults. The DRD2*304/178 genotype is associated with a level of depressive symptoms 0.04-0.07 points (3-5% of the mean) higher than the DRD2*178/178 genotype. Relative to the other more common DRD4 variants, the DRD4*379/379 genotype raises the level of depression by about 0.25 points (about 17% of the mean). These findings hold after adjusting for the effects of socioeconomic status (family structure, parental education, family income, mother's employment status, and whether attending public school) and child-parent ties/social support (conflict with parent(s), closeness to parent(s), parental availability, and social support). Although the gene-sex interaction is clearly present, the tests of gene-lifecourse interaction did not yield any significant results. CONCLUSION: Our findings emphasize the importance of joint influences of genetic propensities and social environment on depressive symptoms.

Nativity Status and Depressive Symptoms among Hispanic Young Adults: The Role of Stress Exposure.

OBJECTIVE: This article documents nativity differentials in depressive symptoms among Hispanics during their initial years of adulthood and explores how ethnicity, socio-demographic characteristics, and exposure to stressful life events and changes in social roles help to explain those differentials. METHODS: Data is drawn from a large-scale two-wave community study of stress, psychiatric well-being, and substance use disorders among young adults. Our analytic sample includes 553 Hispanic respondents and we employ multivariate regression techniques. RESULTS: Regardless of age at immigration, foreign-born women experience greater declines in depressive symptoms than native-born women during early adulthood. This advantage is explained by differences in perceptions of discrimination, family-based stress, and social role changes. The association between nativity and depressive symptoms is not conditioned by ethnicity, but ethnicity does condition the association between stressful events and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that mental health treatment and prevention efforts should focus more heavily on stress exposure.

Risky sexual behaviors among Hispanic young adults in South Florida: nativity, age at immigration and gender differences.

CONTEXT: U.S. Hispanics are disadvantaged compared with whites in regard to sexual health, particularly early sexual initiation and contraceptive use. It is unclear whether differences in nativity and immigration are associated with risky sexual behaviors. METHODS: Data collected between 1998 and 2000 from a community sample in South Florida were analyzed to examine sexual behaviors among 709 Hispanic individuals aged 18-23. Associations between nativity and age at immigration and sexual behaviors were assessed separately by gender using chi-square tests and analyses of covariance. RESULTS: Smaller proportions of sexually experienced women who had immigrated to the United States before age six than of similar U.S.-born women reported having had vaginal sex (83% vs. 91%) and oral sex (71% vs. 86%) in the past year. Compared with U.S.-born women, those who had immigrated at age six or older reported lower levels of oral sex (66% vs. 86% of those with sexual experience) and drug use in conjunction with sex in the past year (mean score, 1.2 vs. 1.6 on a scale of 1-5), and a lower average lifetime number of sexual partners (2.0 vs. 3.7 in the sample overall). Immigrant men were no less likely than U.S.-born men to engage in risky sexual behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Given the diversity of nativity and immigration histories among Hispanics in the United States, it is important that research examine both factors. An understanding of their joint association with sexual activity, plus the conditioning effects of gender, could help professionals to develop effective education and prevention programs for young people who are at risk for engaging in potentially dangerous sexual behavior.

Who's doing it? Patterns and predictors of youths' oral sexual experiences.

PURPOSE: To describe patterns of heterosexual oral sexual experience in a nationally representative sample of youth aged 15 to 21 and identify social and demographic correlates of oral sexual experience among youth who had not engaged in vaginal intercourse. METHODS: Descriptive analysis and multinomial logistic regression using data from Cycle 6 of the National Survey of Family Growth, conducted in 2002. RESULTS: More youth with coital experience than virgin youth had oral sexual experience, and the proportion of both groups with oral sexual experience increased with age. Having received oral sex was more common than having given it, regardless of virginity status and gender. Although fewer females than males had ever-received oral sex, equal proportions of females and males had ever-given. Multivariate analyses revealed that white females were more likely than black females, and white males were more likely than black and Hispanic males to be virgins and to have had oral but not vaginal sex. Intact family structure, a college-educated mother, and no religious affiliation were associated with higher odds of oral sexual experience among virgin females, whereas intact family structure, no religious service attendance, and central city residence were associated with higher odds of oral sexual experience among virgin males. CONCLUSIONS: Oral sex with an opposite-gender partner is an established component of youths' initial sexual experiences, regardless of virginity status. Information on the risks of oral-genital contact should be integrated into sexual education programs targeted to youth.