Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
Dev Psychol. 2010 Mar;46(2):366-78. doi: 10.1037/a0018409.
In recent years, concern has been raised about girls' involvement in sexual activity at progressively younger ages. Little is known about the prevalence of emerging intimate behaviors, the psychosocial factors associated with these behaviors, or the moderating effects of ethnicity on these associations in early adolescence. In the current prospective study, we examined the prevalence and predictors of sexually intimate behaviors at age 12 years in an urban community sample of 1,116 ethnically diverse girls. Cluster analysis revealed 3 groups at age 12: no sexual behavior, mild behavior (e.g., holding hands), and moderate behavior (e.g., laying together). Minority status girls reported higher rates of both mild and moderate sexually intimate behaviors compared with European American girls. After controlling for the significant effects of age 11 intimate behaviors, lifetime alcohol use, poor parent-child communication, deviant peer behavior, onset of menarche, and interactions between ethnicity and impulsivity, social self-worth and depression uniquely increased the odds of engaging in moderately intimate behaviors at age 12 years. Parenting characteristics increased the likelihood of moderate, relative to mild, behaviors. For European American girls only, high levels of impulsivity and low social self-worth were associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in moderate intimate behaviors, whereas high levels of depressive symptoms reduced the odds. The results suggest that early prevention efforts need to incorporate awareness of different social norms relating to sexual behavior.
近年来，人们对女孩在越来越年轻时参与性行为的问题表示担忧。人们对青春期早期出现的亲密行为的流行程度、与这些行为相关的社会心理因素，以及种族对这些关联的调节作用知之甚少。在目前的前瞻性研究中，我们研究了 1116 名种族多样的城市社区女孩在 12 岁时的性亲密行为的流行程度和预测因素。聚类分析显示，12 岁时有 3 个群体：无性行为、轻度行为（如牵手）和中度行为（如躺在一起）。少数族裔女孩报告的轻度和中度性亲密行为发生率均高于欧洲裔美国女孩。在控制了 11 岁时亲密行为、终生饮酒、亲子沟通不良、偏差同伴行为、初潮和种族与冲动性之间的相互作用的显著影响后，社交自我价值感和抑郁情绪独特地增加了 12 岁时中度亲密行为的可能性。育儿特征增加了中度行为的可能性，而不是轻度行为。对于欧洲裔美国女孩，高冲动性和低社交自我价值感与更有可能发生中度亲密行为有关，而高水平的抑郁症状则降低了可能性。结果表明，早期预防工作需要认识到与性行为相关的不同社会规范。
