Young adolescents' perceptions of peer sexual behaviours: the role of television viewing.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether young adolescents' perceptions of peers' sexual activity is related to the amount of television viewing, and whether this relationship may be moderated by young adolescents' pubertal development.


METHODS
This study used a sample of 12- and a sample of 15-year-olds; 2127 respondents in a targeted sample of nine schools in Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium), completed a questionnaire with questions about their television viewing behaviour, the estimated prevalence of given sexual activities in peers, and self-reports on pubertal development and sexual experience.


RESULTS
In the sample of 12-year-olds, results demonstrated that a quadratic regression equation provides the best description for the relationship between television viewing and perceptions of peer sexual behaviours, indicating that the 'effect' of television only starts off after a level of about 45 h of television viewing per week. Further exploration showed that this relationship remains significant when controlling for gender and sexual experience, and is stronger at more advanced levels of pubertal development. In the sample of 15-year-olds, linear and unmoderated relationships were found. Irrespective of their pubertal status, gender, or level of sexual experience, television viewing is related to higher expectations of peers' sexual activities.


CONCLUSIONS
Concerns about the impact of television viewing on sexual health should not be limited to older adolescents. This research has identified 12-year-olds who display a higher level of pubertal development and generally spend much time with television viewing as a category of viewers-at-risk.
Eggermont
S
S
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. steven.eggermont@soc.kuleuven.ac.be
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011627:Puberty; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012938:Social Perception; D013690:Television / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013997:Time Factors