Adolescent girls' perceptions of the timing of their sexual initiation: “too young” or “just right”?

• Published in: Journal of adolescent health Vol. 34; no. 5; pp. 453 - 458
• Main Authors: Cotton, Sian, Mills, Lisa, Succop, Paul A, Biro, Frank M, Rosenthal, Susan L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-05-2004
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Adolescent sexuality; Adolescents; African Americans - psychology; Age Factors; Attitude; Child; Female; Girls; Humans; Initiation; Logistic Models; Midwestern United States; Perceptions; Prospective Studies; Psychology, Adolescent; Sexual Behavior; Sexual initiation; Sexual intercourse; Timing; Timing of consensual intercourse; USA; Midwestern United States; Sexual initiation; Timing of consensual intercourse; Adolescent sexuality; Adolescents
• ISSN: 1054-139X; 1879-1972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2003.09.019

To examine variables associated with adolescent girls' perceptions of the timing of their first consensual intercourse.
One hundred seventy-four primarily African-American adolescent girls, aged 12 to 15 years participated in a 3-year longitudinal study of psychosexual development. Seventy-three percent reported being sexually experienced by the end of the study. They were asked whether they believed their age of initiation was “too young,” “too old,” or “just right.” A generalized estimating equation (GEE) model was used to evaluate predictors of perception of timing of first consensual intercourse.
Ninety-nine (78%) said that they were “too young” and 28 (22%) said that their age had been “just right.” The results of the final GEE model indicated that variables associated with perceiving age of first consensual intercourse as “just right” included younger chronological age, an older age of first consensual intercourse, endorsement of being “in love” as a reason for first consensual intercourse, greater indirect parental monitoring (vs. “none” or “direct parental monitoring”), and a higher level of education for mothers.
Most of these adolescents thought their age of initiation was too young. Factors associated with perceiving the timing of consensual intercourse as “just right” are similar to those reported in the literature to be associated with delaying the initiation of consensual intercourse.