Family Facts: Social Science Research on Family, Society & Religion

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This finding looks at the relationship between taking a virginity pledge, parents attitudes, and adolescents' sexual activity.

Even when controlling for other factors linked to sexual activity rates, including physical maturity, parental disapproval of sexual activity, school achievement, and race, children who took virginity pledges were one-third less likely to begin sexual activity than non-pledging peers. In addition, youths who perceived that their parents disapproved of adolescent sexual activity were less likely to become sexually active.

Sample or Data Description
Data came from the first and second wave of the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health), which included 14,787 students in grades 7-12 between 1994-1996.

Source
"Promising the Future: Virginity Pledges and First Intercourse"
Bearman, Peter S.
Bruckner, Hanna
American Journal of Sociology Vol. 106, Number 4. January, 2001. Page(s) 859-912.

FindingID: 4945