until they turned 20 or even later are more likely to
end up in a happy relationship. However, these people
are less likely to be married and are also more likely to
have had a university education and work in a well-
paid job.
While parents worry about their children getting
involved in all kinds of risky behaviour, their
children's' forays into sexual relationships is their
prime concern.
Previous research suggests that there may be cause
for concern, as timing of sexual development can have
significant immediate consequences for adolescents'
physical and mental health. However, until now little
had been done to study long-term outcomes, and how
early sexual initiation might affect romantic
relationships in adulthood.
Psychological scientist Paige Harden, of the University
of Texas in the United States, set about changing this.
She wanted to investigate whether the timing of
sexual initiation in adolescence might predict
romantic outcomes - such as whether people get
married or live with their partners, how many
romantic partners they've had, and whether they're
satisfied with their relationship - later in adulthood.
Doctor Harden used data from the National
Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health to look at
1,659 same-sex sibling pairs who were followed from
around the age of 16 to about the age of 29. Each
sibling was classified as having an 'early' (younger
than 15), 'on-time' (age 15 to 19), or 'late' (older than
19) first experience with sexual intercourse.
Later timing of first sexual experience was associated
with higher educational attainment and higher
household income in adulthood when compared with
the early and on-time groups. People who had a later
first sexual experience were also less likely to be
married and they had fewer romantic partners in
adulthood.
Among the participants who were married
or living with a partner, later sexual initiation was
linked with significantly lower levels of relationship
dissatisfaction in adulthood.
Dr Harden said: 'It's possible that people who have
their first sexual encounter later also have certain
characteristics that have downstream effects on both
sexual delay and on relationship quality. They could
be pickier in choosing romantic and sexual partners,
resulting in a reluctance to enter into intimate
relationships unless they are very satisfying.
'It's also possible, however, that people who have
their first sexual encounter later have different
experiences, avoiding early encounters with relational
aggression or victimization that would otherwise have
detrimental effects on later romantic outcomes.'
Dr Harden added: 'Individuals who first navigate
intimate relationships in young adulthood, after they
have accrued cognitive and emotional maturity, may
learn more effective relationship skills than
individuals who first learn scripts for intimate
relationships while they are still teenagers.'
In previous studies, Dr Harden and her colleagues
have found that earlier sexual intercourse isn't always
associated with negative outcomes.
For example, she found that teenagers who
experienced their first sexual intercourse earlier,
particularly those who had sex in a romantic dating
relationship, had lower levels of delinquent behaviour
problems.
She added: 'We are just beginning to understand how
adolescents' sexual experiences influence their future
development and relationships.'
When, to your mind, is the best time to lose
one's virginity?
Is
engaging in sexual activities at a rather young
age gaining experience?
PLEASE WRITE YOUR COMMENTS
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