ArticleHealth psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association2013
Why does early sexual intercourse predict subsequent maladjustment? Exploring potential familial confounds.
Article in Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Cross-National Trends in Early Sexual Initiation Among 15-Year-Old Adolescents, 2002-2022.International journal of public health · 2025Article
- Preliminary Validation of a General Factor Model of Chronic Overlapping Pain Conditions.The journal of pain · 2024Article
- Mendelian randomization analyses for the causal relationship between early age at first sexual intercourse, early age at first live birth, and postpartum depression in pregnant women.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2024Article
- A Longitudinal Investigation of Observed Adolescent Text-Based Sexting and Adjustment.Research on child and adolescent psychopathology · 2022Observational
- Developmental Trajectories of Adolescent Girls' Borderline Personality Symptoms and Sexual Risk Behaviors.Journal of abnormal child psychology · 2020Article
- Sexual Development in Adolescence: An Examination of Genetic and Environmental Influences.Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence · 2020Article
- Sex, drugs, and early emerging risk: Examining the association between sexual debut and substance use across adolescence.PloS one · 2020Article
- Outcomes of Early Adolescent Sexual Behavior in Australia: Longitudinal Findings in Young Adulthood.The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine · 2019Article
- Adolescent Age of Sexual Initiation and Subsequent Adult Health Outcomes.American journal of public health · 2018Article
- Sexual intercourse, age of initiation and contraception among adolescents in Ireland: findings from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Ireland study.BMC public health · 2018Article
- Individual- and Family-Level Determinants of Risky Sexual Behavior Among Swedish- and Foreign-Born Young Adults 18-30 Years of Age, Residing in Skåne, Sweden.Archives of sexual behavior · 2018Article
- Age of sexual initiation and depression in adolescents: Data from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort.Journal of affective disorders · 2017Article
- Early Sexual Initiation and Mental Health: A Fleeting Association or Enduring Change?Journal of research on adolescence : the official journal of the Society for Research on Adolescence · 2017Article
- The developmental progression of age 14 behavioral disinhibition, early age of sexual initiation, and subsequent sexual risk-taking behavior.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2014Article
- Genetic influences on adolescent sexual behavior: Why genes matter for environmentally oriented researchers.Psychological bulletin · 2014Review
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4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivePrevious studies have found an association between early age at first sexual intercourse and subsequent psychosocial maladjustment. Using a quasi-experimental approach, we examined the extent to which this observed association may be due to familial confounds not explored in prior research.
methodsUsing a population-based cohort of Swedish adult twins (ages 19-47; N = 12,126), we examined the nature of the association between early sexual intercourse (i.e., first intercourse occurring before age 16) and various outcomes reflecting psychosocial health, including substance use, depression, criminal convictions, and adolescent childbearing. We used two methods--discordant-twin analyses and bivariate twin modeling--to estimate the extent to which genetic and environmental confounds explained observed associations.
resultsIndividuals who engaged in early intercourse were at greater risk for most of the adverse psychosocial health outcomes measured in this study. However, twin pairs discordant for engaging in early intercourse did not differ significantly in their risk for psychosocial maladjustment. Our results indicated that early age at first sexual intercourse and subsequent psychosocial maladjustment may be associated because of familial factors shared by twins.
conclusionsEarly intercourse may be associated with poor psychosocial health largely due to shared familial influences rather than through a direct causal connection. Therefore, effective and efficient interventions should address other risk factors common to early intercourse and poor psychosocial health.
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