Rutgers Nisso Groep, P.O. Box 9022, 3506 GA Utrecht, The Netherlands.
J Youth Adolesc. 2012 May;41(5):583-92. doi: 10.1007/s10964-011-9708-9. Epub 2011 Aug 19.
Although the relation between family relationships and the timing of sexual debut has been the focus of many studies, research on mediating factors is scarce. This study examines whether low levels of family cohesion result in an earlier onset of romantic and sexual experiences, and whether the link between family cohesion and an early sexual debut is mediated by early romantic initiation. A longitudinal sample of 314 adolescent girls and 222 boys, aged 12-17 at Wave 1, completed questionnaires at three measurement points with three year intervals. The results showed that sexual debut followed romantic initiation for 77% of the participants. For early adolescent females (aged 12-14), high levels of family cohesion resulted in a later sexual debut and this association was fully mediated by a delay of romantic initiation. Among boys and older girls, timing of romantic initiation did not mediate the link between family cohesion and timing of sexual initiation. Early adolescent girls who have negative relationships with their parents turn to romantic relationships for intimacy and support, which subsequently provide the opportunity for an early sexual debut. Low levels of family cohesion thus primarily precipitate romantic initiation and sexual initiation appears to be secondary to this process among girls in this age group.
尽管家庭关系与性初体验时间之间的关系一直是许多研究的焦点，但关于中介因素的研究却很少。本研究考察了家庭凝聚力水平低是否会导致更早开始浪漫和性体验，以及家庭凝聚力与性初体验之间的联系是否通过早期浪漫关系的开始而产生中介作用。对 314 名少女和 222 名男孩的纵向样本进行了研究，这些参与者在第一波测量时的年龄为 12-17 岁，之后每隔三年进行三次测量。结果表明，在 77%的参与者中，性初体验紧随浪漫关系的开始。对于早期的少女（12-14 岁）来说，家庭凝聚力水平高会导致性初体验的时间延迟，而这种关联完全是通过推迟浪漫关系的开始来产生的。对于男孩和年龄较大的女孩来说，浪漫关系的开始时间并没有调节家庭凝聚力与性开始时间之间的关系。与父母关系不好的早期少女会转向浪漫关系寻求亲密和支持，这随后为早期性初体验提供了机会。因此，低水平的家庭凝聚力主要会促使浪漫关系的开始，而对于这个年龄段的女孩来说，性初体验似乎是这一过程的次要产物。
