Adolescent religiosity and sexuality: an investigation of reciprocal influences.
The present study examined potential bi-directional associations between religiosity and first sexual intercourse. The sample, drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, included 303 teens (22% Hispanic, 35% Black, 43% White; 53% male) aged 15-16 in 1996 and 17-18 in 1998. All teens included in the sample were virgins at Time 1. In the longitudinal analyses, higher Time 1 religiosity (a composite of importance of religion and frequency of church attendance) was associated with a lower likelihood of first sexual intercourse between Time 1 and Time 2. However, transition to sexual activity between Time 1 and Time 2 was not significantly related to Time 2 religiosity. Thus, results do not support a bi-directional association; instead, it appears that teens with higher levels of religiosity tend to delay sexual involvement more than those with lower levels of religiosity.
Hardy
Sam A
SA
Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 238 Burnett Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA. samhardy_unl@yahoo.com
Raffaelli
Marcela
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D003075:Coitus / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D012071:Religion and Sex; D012737:Sex Factors; D012938:Social Perception; D014481:United States; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology