Female adolescents and onset of sexual intercourse: A theory-based review of research from 1984 to 1994
Accepted 13 September 1996.
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).
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Department of Kinesiology and Health Education, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
Address reprint requests to: Patricia Goodson, Ph.D., Division of Education, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 6900 North Loop 1604 West, San Antonio, TX, 78249-0654.
ABSTRACT