Parental social position, body image, and other psychosocial determinants and first sexual intercourse among 15- and 16-year olds.

This study investigated the associations among first sexual intercourse and body image, future educational plans, depressed moods, as well as the influence of parental education and income. These associations were tested by gender and ethnicity and adjusted for variables likely to affect the findings, such as perceived social support, sexual abuse, and age. Tenth graders from Lower Secondary Schools in Oslo enrolled in 2000 and 2001 were invited to participate in this cross-sectional in-school study (participation rate: 88%). Out of the 7,343 participants, only those 15 or 16 years of age were included in the analyses (N = 7,187). Data on both parents' level of education and income were obtained from official registries. Body image was independently associated with sexual intercourse for adolescent girls. Those with high scores on body image concerns were more likely to have experienced first intercourse. For both male and female adolescents, future education plans including higher education were negatively associated with first sexual intercourse. Depressed mood and sexual abuse had positive associations with reported first sexual intercourse. Independent associations between sexual debut and parental education and income were also found. Adolescents of fathers with higher education were less likely to report having had first sexual intercourse. A similar relationship was observed between mothers' levels of education and their sons. It was found that first sexual intercourse among 15- and 16-year-olds is associated with higher scores on body image concerns for adolescent girls. Social support and parental higher education seem to decrease the likelihood of having had first sexual intercourse in this age group. In future research, body image and various aspects of social support need to be better understood in relation to adolescent sexuality in various social and cultural contexts.