Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, 78712, USA.
Psychol Sci. 2012;23(11):1324-36. doi: 10.1177/0956797612442550. Epub 2012 Sep 25.
This study tested whether the timing of first sexual intercourse in adolescence predicts romantic outcomes in adulthood, including union formation, number of romantic partners, and relationship dissatisfaction. Participants were 1,659 same-sex sibling pairs from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, who were followed from adolescence (mean age = 16 years) to young adulthood (mean age = 29 years). The timing of participants' first sexual intercourse was classified as early (at age 14 or earlier), on time (between the ages of 15 and 19), or late (at age 19 or older). Compared with early and on-time age at first sex, late age at first sex was associated with decreased odds of marriage or nonmarital cohabitation and fewer romantic partners in adulthood. Among individuals who had married or cohabited with a partner, late timing of first sex was associated with significantly reduced levels of relationship dissatisfaction, even after controlling for genetic and environmental differences between families (using a sibling-comparison model), demographic outcomes in adulthood, and involvement in dating during adolescence. These results underscore the contribution of a life-span approach to our understanding of romantic relationships.
本研究旨在探讨青少年初次性行为的时间是否能预测成年后的恋爱结果，包括结合、伴侣数量和关系不满。参与者为来自国家青少年健康纵向研究的 1659 对同性兄弟姐妹，他们从青春期（平均年龄 16 岁）一直随访到成年早期（平均年龄 29 岁）。参与者初次性行为的时间被分为早期（14 岁或更早）、适时（15 岁至 19 岁之间）或晚期（19 岁或更晚）。与早期和适时的初次性行为相比，晚期的初次性行为与成年后婚姻或非婚同居的可能性降低以及伴侣数量减少有关。对于已经与伴侣结婚或同居的人来说，初次性行为的时间较晚与关系不满的程度显著降低有关，即使在控制了家庭之间的遗传和环境差异（使用兄弟姐妹比较模型）、成年后的人口统计学结果以及青少年时期的约会参与情况之后也是如此。这些结果强调了采用生命周期方法来理解恋爱关系的重要性。
