Parenting and Adolescents' Sexual Initiation.

Longmore, Monica A.; Eng, Abbey L.; Giordano, Peggy E.; Manning, Wendy D.

This study draws on social control and social learning theories to examine the role of dating-specific attitudes and practices as predictors of adolescents' sexual initiation. We include attention to the adolescent's reaction to control attempts as a further means of assessing family dynamics (i.e., frequency of dating disagreements). The study uses longitudinal data from 697 adolescents who were not sexually active at the first interview as well as separate interviews with parents. In models that include all parenting variables, parental caring, parents' preferences that the child should delay sex, and the frequency of dating disagreements were significant predictors of initiation of teen sexual activity.

TEENAGERS' sexual behavior; INTERPERSONAL relations; HUMAN sexuality; TEENAGER attitudes; DATING (Social customs); PARENT-teenager relationships

Journal of Marriage & Family, 2009, Vol 71, Issue 4, p969

0022-2445

Academic Journal

10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.00647.x