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

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This finding looks at the relationship between family structure and teen sexuality.

Among a sample of adolescent virgins, male and female adolescents living with both biological parents were less likely to have sex for the first time during the subsequent year than adolescents living with a single parent. Males living with a stepparent were more likely than males living with two biological parents to have sexual intercourse for the first time in the subsequent year. Among females, however, there was no difference between those living with two biological parents and those living with one biological parent and a stepparent.

Sample or Data Description
Data came from the first two waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The final sample consisted of 7,965 adolescents in grades 7 through 12 who had not had sexual intercourse prior to the first wave of data collection.

Source
"Self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and adolescents’ sexual onset."
Longmore, M. A.
Manning, W. D., Giordano, P. C., & Rudolph, J. L.
Social Psychology Quarterly Vol. 67, Number 3. , 2004. Page(s) 279-295.

FindingID: 8077