ArticleThe Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine2010
Early adolescent sexual initiation as a problem behavior: a comparative study of five nations.
Article in The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers.
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Who cites it
61 citing papers in PubMed.
- Trial
- STI knowledge and risk behaviors among university students in northeastern Italy: the role of medical education and sexual experience.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Relationships between family functioning and HIV/AIDS-related preventive behaviors among young students with sexual experience.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Health behaviors in school-aged children: global trends in education, socioeconomic status, and adolescent health.Frontiers in public health · 2025Review
- Cross-National Trends in Early Sexual Initiation Among 15-Year-Old Adolescents, 2002-2022.International journal of public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Grade-Level Differences in the Profiles of Substance Use and Behavioral Health Problems: A Multi-Group Latent Class Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Article
- Alcohol use disorder among healthcare professional students: a structural equation model describing its effect on depression, anxiety, and risky sexual behavior.BMC psychiatry · 2023Article
- Trends in Early Sexual Initiation and Its Association with Socio-Environmental Factors among Korean Adolescents.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Association between early sexual initiation and sexually transmitted infections among Peruvian reproductive-age women.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Childhood Adversity and Risky Behaviors among Chinese Rural Young Adults: The Mediation Effect of Perceived Stress and Moderation Effect of Social Support.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Aspects of Gender and Sexuality in Relation to Experiences of Subjection to Sexual Harassment among Adolescents in General Population.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Is Adolescent Risk Behavior Associated With Cross-Household Family Complexity? An Analysis of Post-separation Families in 42 Countries.Frontiers in sociology · 2022Article
- Who Is Exposed to Harmful Online Content? The Role of Risk and Protective Factors Among Czech, Finnish, and Spanish Adolescents.Journal of youth and adolescence · 2021Article
- Article
- Association between First Sexual Intercourse and Sexual Violence Victimization, Symptoms of Depression, and Suicidal Behaviors among Adolescents in the United States: Findings from 2017 and 2019 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Comprehensive sexuality education in Hong Kong: study protocol for process and outcome evaluation.BMC public health · 2021Article
- Early sexual initiation and risky sexual practices among alcohol- and tobacco-using young adults in Taiwan: mediation analysis of preceding-sex use of illicit drugs.BMC public health · 2020Article
- Association of Adverse Childhood Experiences with Health Risk Behaviors Among College Students in Zambia.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2020Article
1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeUsing a Problem Behavior Theory framework, this article examines the extent to which psychosocial correlates of early sexual initiation (before age 16) vary across developed nations.
methodsFifteen-year-old participants (n = 5,624) in the 1997-1998 World Health Organization collaborative Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey (Finland, Scotland, France, and Poland) and the 1996 U.S. Add Health survey self-reported substance use (alcohol and tobacco), school attachment, positive parental communication, and early sexual intercourse experience. Stratifying by gender, we performed univariate, bivariate, and multivariable analyses controlling for family socioeconomic status, family structure, and nation fixed effects.
resultsSelf-reported early sexual experience, substance use, school attachment, and positive communication with parents varied significantly across nations for both boys and girls. In both crude and adjusted analyses, substance use was positively associated with early sexual experience among boys and girls across nations, although associations were stronger in Europe than in the United States (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]; range, 1.56-3.74). School attachment was similarly inversely related to early sexual experience among boys and girls across nations (AOR range, .63-.94). However, positive parent communication was significantly inversely related to early sexual experience only among U.S. females (AOR .50).
conclusionsFindings overall supported the fit of early adolescent sexual initiation as a risk behavior within a Problem Behavior Theory framework cross-nationally, suggesting that similar factors could be targeted to prevent early sexual initiation across some developed nations. However, further research is warranted examining the temporality of these relationships.
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