Age of partners at first intercourse among Danish males and females

In 1984–1985 a representative sample of 286 Danish women (response rate = 75.3%) and 336 Danish men (response rate = 77.8%), ages 16–20 years, was interviewed about their first sexual intercourse. A cumulative frequency function was constructed and the median age at sexual debut was estimated at 16.8 years for both male and female. Generally the age difference between the partners at first intercourse was only a few years. However, the young women almost never reported their first sexual partner as younger than themselves. A cross-check was made of the information given by two homogeneous subsamples of the 47 young women and 80 young men who had their first sexual intercourse with a partner who was also a debutant. Self-reported age among the males differed significantly from the age of the first sexual partner as stated by the females in these subsamples. Therefore, there is bias in the reporting of age of partner at first intercourse. As the self-reported age at first sexual intercourse by young women agrees with the age of first partner as stated by young men, the bias seems to manifest itself predominantly as a systematic misreporting in the age of male partners of debutant females.This work supported by a research grant from Sygekassernes Helsefond.     

Sexual health knowledge, attitudes and behaviours: variations among a religiously diverse sample of young people in London, UK

Objective. To report young people's variations in sexual health knowledge, attitudes and behaviours by religious affiliation.

Design. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey administered in 16 Secondary/High schools in London, UK. The sample consisted of 3007 students in school Years 11–13 (aged 15–18), present in school on the day of questionnaire administration. Excluding those who described themselves as ‘Other religious’, 15.9% (n=418) described themselves as having no religious affiliation, 36.3% (n=957) were Christian, 25.8% (n=679) were Muslim and 22.1% were Hindu (n=582). The religious affiliation varied within and across different ethnic groups.

Method. Self-administered questionnaire completed under ‘exam’ conditions, either in tutor groups or a school hall. The 30-minute questionnaires were distributed and collected by a team of ethnically and religiously diverse fieldworkers.

Results. Religious students, as opposed to those reporting no religious affiliation, generally reported poorer sexual health knowledge, and were more conservative in their attitudes to sex. Among males and females, those with no religious affiliation and Christian students reported the highest prevalence of sexual intercourse by some margin (around 20 percentage points) over the Hindus and Muslims. Christian males most frequently reported sexual intercourse at 49.7%, and Muslim females the least at 9.0%. Among those reporting sexual intercourse, risk behaviours among all religious and non-religious students were evident. Over one-third of Muslim females who had sexual intercourse did not use contraception on their first occasion compared to 10% of those with no religious affiliation, 12% of Christians and 20% of Hindus. Christian and Muslim females reported the highest prevalence of ever not using contraception at 55%, and non-use of contraception with two or more sexual intercourse partners at 14%.

Conclusion. The findings demonstrate diverse sexual health knowledge, sexual attitudes and sexual behaviours among young people with different religious affiliations. These variations demonstrate the importance of tailoring health education and promotion interventions to meet the specific needs of young people from a variety of different religions. The challenge ahead is to find ways to work with these young people to broach such sensitive issues.     

Age of sexual debut among US adolescents

Background

This study examined gender and racial/ethnic differences in sexual debut.

Study Design

We analyzed 1999-2007 data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of students in Grades 9-12 established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to compute the probability of survival (not having become sexually active) at each year (age 12 through 17), and separate estimates were produced for each level of gender and racial/ethnic group.

Results

African-American males experienced sexual debut earlier than all other groups (all tests of significance at p<.001) and Asian males and females experienced sexual debut later than all groups (all tests of significance at p<.001). By their 17th birthday, the probability for sexual debut was less than 35% for Asians (females 28%, males 33%) and less than 60% for Caucasians (58% females, 53% males) and Hispanic females (59%). The probability for sexual debut by their 17th birthday was greatest for African Americans (74% females, 82% males) and Hispanic males (69%).

Conclusions

These results demonstrate a need for sexual education programs and policy to be sensitive to the roles of race and ethnicity in sexual debut.     

海南省农村妇女性观念及性行为问卷调查

目的 了解农村妇女性观念和性行为现状及其影响因素。方法 采用分层整群抽样横断面调查设计。用听录音回答和调查员询问填写问卷两种不同的资料收集方法对海南省某县606名农村妇女进行问卷调查。结果 25％的妇女认可一般的婚前性行为,认可结婚对象婚前发生性行为的妇女占34％。自报发生过婚前性行为的妇女占15％,4％报告发生过婚前人工流产。5％的妇女报告曾在月经期发生过性行为。认可婚外性行为的妇女占4％,3％的妇女认可卖淫,对需要钱的妇女卖淫表示认可的妇女占3％。没有妇女报告发生过婚外性行为或卖淫行为。两种资料收集方法结果差异无统计学显著性意义。logistic回归分析显示低年龄、低文化程度、汉族与对婚前性行为的态度有正关联,低年龄与发生婚前性行为有正关联。结论 在农村人群中应更早地开展性健康教育,并应具有针对性。在研究中,听录音回答的调查方法并未增加敏感问题调查结果的真实性。     

Cross-cultural analysis of students' sexual standards

Our purpose was to investigate, cross-culturally, university students' premarital sexual standards. A number of predictions were derived from the work of Christensen, Reiss, and Burr. Data were collected via self-administered questionnaires from over 1100 English-speaking respondents in five cultures (four countries). These cultural contexts had a strong effect on the attitudes and behavior of individual respondents. As predicted, the difference in the standards held by males and females was small in highly permissive societies. Negative consequences of premarital intercourse (i.e., guilt) were reported by the highest proportion of sexually experienced respondents in the most restrictive society. An unsuccessful effort was made to predict how the correlation between permissiveness and such variables as religiosity would change in different cultures. Across all five cultures, greater courtship participation, less religiosity, greater physical attractiveness, and spending less time with one's family were associated with greater permissiveness. Finally, students from high-status backgrounds were generally more permissive.This research was supported by a Canada Council Grant (574–0557) and Leave Fellowship to the senior author.     

Cognitive and hormonal factors affecting coital frequency

Sexual behavior of female undergraduates was assessed by daily questionnaires. Of the 24 subjects, 13 were taking oral contraceptives (pill subjects) and 11 were using other methods of birth control (nonpill subjects), primarily diaphragm or male prophylactic methods. Three main results were obtained: (1) Intercourse rates were lowest during menstruation and highest immediately following menstruation. (2) Self-rated sexual arousal on a given day correlated with the type of heterosexual encounters on that day rather than with period of the menstrual cycle. (3) Pill subjects reported intercourse on more days than nonpill subjects but reported a lower number of intercourse sessions on days with intercourse than nonpill subjects. These results are interpreted within a general framework of sexual behavior which recognizes the sexual behavior of humans as primarily influenced by cultural and cognitive factors. The possibility is discussed that female sexual behavior might also be found to be affected by hormones if more sensitive measures were used.This research was made possible by Grant M 72.0125C from The Population Council to Cathy J. Spitz and Faculty Research Grants from Wesleyan University to Alice R. Gold and David B. Adams.This paper is based on a thesis submitted by the first author in partial fulfillment for the Master of Arts in Psychology at Wesleyan.     

Understanding sexual risk taking behaviour in Hong Kong university students. A health promotion perspective

BACKGROUND: Levels of sexual experience among Chinese university students are considerably lower than in western countries. Measuring sexual risk-taking behavior of Chinese students is important in designing any effective preventive health programs. This study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with high-risk sexual behavior among students in a Hong Kong university. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey conducted among year 1 and year 3 Chinese undergraduate students in 1997, using a structured, self-administered questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the 1197 students surveyed, only 11% were sexually active (ever had sexual intercourse). Reported sexual activity was higher among year 3 (17%) than year 1 (6.6%) students and higher among males (14.4%) than females (8.3%). Consistent (always) use of condoms was reported by only 43% of the sexually active respondents. Males were more likely to think that premarital sex was acceptable than were females. About 1 in 20 students (55 of 1197) were categorized as belonging to a "greater risk behavior" group, defined by inconsistent or nonuse of condoms during sexual intercourse and having had three or more sexual partners in the past 3 months, or having has sex with prostitutes or ever having a sexually transmitted disease, or using alcohol or other stimulating drugs during sexual intercourse. Males with favorable attitudes toward premarital sex were more likely to belong to the greater risk behavior group. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the potential risk for contracting sexually transmitted diseases among a substantial proportion of university students, suggesting the need for promotion of preventive education programs.     

Type of contraception method used at last intercourse and associations with health risk behaviors among US adolescents

Background

This study was conducted to examine associations with contraception methods used at last sexual intercourse among US adolescents.

Study Design

Data consisted of sexually active adolescents (9th–12th grade, weighted n=24,638) from the 1999–2007 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). We performed multinomial multivariable logistic regression analyses with condom users at last sexual intercourse as the reference group.

Results

Males who used alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana and cocaine were more likely to use no method/unsure of method (OR=2.4, CI=1.7–3.4) or rely on withdrawal (OR=2.6, CI=1.5–4.3). Females with six or more sexual partners were more likely to rely on withdrawal (OR=2.9, CI=2.1–3.9) or contraception methods that offer no STI protection [i.e., birth control pills: OR=1.9, CI=1.4–2.5; and depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA, marketed as Depo-Provera): OR=2.6, CI=1.6–4.2]. Earlier age of sexual debut was also associated with nonuse.

Conclusion

Prevention efforts should focus on at-risk adolescents including substance-using males, females with six or more sexual partners, and those who initiate sexual intercourse at an early age.     

Sexual behavior of Colombian female university students

The results of a survey of sexual behavior conducted among 113 female students of Caldas University, Manizales, Colombia, are reported. Among other findings, cumulative incidence of masturbation was 68.1% and that of premarital coitus 33.6%. On the other hand, 56.4% of the nonvirgins professed to have had oralgenital contacts and 28.2% of them said that they had experienced anal coitus. While 96.5% of the students admitted contact with pornographic materials and 40.4% had been sexually aroused by these materials, 18% of those subjects who had been exposed to romantic (nonsexually explicit) materials professed to have been sexually aroused. As to contraceptive practices, many students never used any contraceptive method, and 11.4% of the coitally experienced respondents admitted to having had an induced abortion. This study also shows a negative correlation between religiosity and the subjects' sexual behavior. Highly significant sex differences in sexual behavior among Colombian university students are also revealed when this study's findings are compared with data from male medical students.     

Formal and informal sex education as determinants of premarital sexual behavior

Controversies exist regarding the effects of sex education in the schools and informal sex education obtained from parents, peers, the mass media, and other sources. Similarly, there is widespread interest in premarital sexual behavior, especially its determinants. This study presents several issues reflecting these concerns which have been the subject of much speculation but which have received little attention by researchers. The purpose of this study was to investigate — through the use of respondent reports — how formal and informal sex education influences premarital sexual behavior during college. A national probability sample of 1177 college students was studied using face-to-face interviews with approximately equal numbers of males and females. These interviews, which were conducted for the Institute for Sex Research, included questions about past and present sexual involvement and other attitudinal, behavioral, and background variables. Accordingly, the data about sexual behavior and attitudes are based on the interviewees' self-reports. Indices were created which operationalized independent variables such as familial sexual conservatism, exposure to eroticism, perceived sex knowledge, and sexual exposure and assault during childhood and adolescence. Individual items reflecting childhood sex play, masturbation, current religiosity, religiosity while growing up, social class, sources of sex information, sex education in classrooms, and high school and college dating were used. The dependent variable, premarital sociosexual involvement, is a composite measure of incidence and prevalence of premarital heterosexual involvement which meets Guttman scaling criteria. An Automatic Interaction Detector analysis was used to determine the relative influences of reported sexualization variables on premarital sexual behavior. Major findings can be summarized as follows: Heterosexual behavior progresses in stepwise fashion from elementary to advanced levels of involvement, with each level representing a threshold. Reports of current influences and pressures explain more variance in premarital sexual behavior than reports of past informal sexualization influences, which, in turn, explain more variance than reported formal sex-educating experiences. Limited success was reported with the use of a four-stage AID analysis which attempted to ascertain whether variables represented in later stages of the sexualization process mask the effects of variables in earlier stages and whether a developmental process can be identified. It may be concluded that these data do not support the belief that exposure to sexuality through formalsex education influences premarital sexual behavior. Informalsex education has significantly more impact on premarital sexual behavior, but there are indications that pressures and experiences confronting young people in a given dating or peer group situation take precedence over all past sexual socialization influences. The original study was funded by NICHD Grant PHS RO1 HD 02257. The secondary analysis for this article was supported by a grant from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation.     

北京市大学生性病艾滋病知识,认知及性行为的调查分析

北京市１３１０名大学生性病艾滋病知识、认知及婚前性行为现状的调查结果显示：９０％以上的学生都听说过艾滋病、淋病和梅毒,但大学生对常见性病和艾病传播途径的知识则了解较少。半数以上的学生对性病艾滋病存在不同程度的恐惧心理。１５％的男生和１３％的女生承认有过婚前性交行为。但首次性行为发生时,只有９％的人回答用过避孕套。另外,３．６％的被调查对象报告他们曾有过１种或多种可通过性交传播的疾病。Ｌｏｇｉｓｔｉｃ回归分析结果表明,除了性态度、同伴性行为、色情出版物和父母离异等变量外,大学生对性病艾滋病严重性的认知与婚前性行为发生有关。提示应在北京大学生中开展综合性的性病艾滋病防治教育和培养大学生的自我保护技能。     

Premarital sexual attitudes of unmarried university students: 1968 vs. 1972

Information on premarital sexual attitudes of unmarried undergraduates was obtained from random samples on the same campus in 1968 and 1972. Students in 1972, compared with those in 1968, reported (1) more permissive attitudes toward premarital sexual behavior (both men and women), (2) fewer differences in attitudes between men and women, and (3) less adherence to the double standard. In contrast to earlier research on premarital sexual attitudes, these differences need not be due to the markedly different populations compared, or generalizable only to sociology and psychology students, or indicative of only those who chose to volunteer for study (volunteer bias).This research received support from the Institute for Research in Social Science and the University Research Council, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.     

河南某高校大学生性知识和性行为性别差异研究

目的：了解大学生性知识和性行为的性别差异。方法：对962名在校大学生进行性知识问卷调查，内容涉及大学生性知识获得途径，性自慰发生的原因及心理因素，婚前性行为发笺年龄及心理活动等。结果：在调查的多数项目中，性别之间存在差异；性自慰在大学生中普遍存在，男生报告率为61．99％，女生报告率为34．04％，大学生中有过婚前性行为的报告率男女生分别为12．50％和8．64％，年龄分布表现出一定的规律性。结论：学校应针对男女生的特点进行性教育。     

Barebacking among gay and bisexual men in New York City: explanations for the emergence of intentional unsafe behavior

This study was undertaken to assess the frequency with which gay and bisexual men in New York City engage in intentional unprotected anal sex, or barebacking, and to examine explanations about the emergence of barebacking. A total of 518 men completed a brief intercept survey. Of the 448 men who were familiar with the term barebacking, 204 (45.5%) reported bareback sex in the past 3 months prior to assessment. HIV seropositive men were significantly more likely than HIV seronegative men to report this behavior and reported significantly more sexual partners with which they had engaged in intentional unprotected anal intercourse. Participants reported significantly more acts of seroconcordant bareback sex (intentional unprotected anal intercourse with a partner of the same HIV status) than those of serodiscordant bareback sex. Men who reported barebacking also reported significantly more benefits associated with this behavior. The Internet and the availability of sexually oriented chat rooms, HIV treatment advances, emotional fatigue regarding HIV, and the increased popularity of club drugs were commonly cited as reasons for the barebacking phenomenon.     

The frequency of sexual intercourse during pregnancy

Reports of day-by-day sexual activity for the previous week were collected from a total community sample of over 900 pregnant and nonpregnant Thai women of childbearing age during a fertility survey in 1967–1968. About 13% of the women were pregnant. Examination of the women's intercourse frequencies at various stages of pregnancy revealed a downward trend as pregnancy progressed. However, a difference between the mean frequency for age-matched, nonmenstruating, nonpregnant women and that during any stage of pregnancy was not statistically significant at the p =0.05 level (t test, two-tailed) until the seventh month. Much individual variation existed among the women. Complete abstinence from intercourse during the previous week reached a peak of 72.7% in the ninth month. The increase in abstinence with the progression of pregnancy appeared linear. The importance of these data lies in two methodological facts: they were collected from a total population sample and are therefore unbiased by sample selection; the women were not asked to report their average frequencies for some time period in the past. Reports of behavior on each day of only the preceding week were the basis for the conclusion. Although the women are from a different culture, lay and professional advice concerning intercourse during pregnancy is similar to that in the United States. Because intercourse may be discouraged, particularly in the third trimester, it is difficult to attribute the observation of the gradual decline in frequency to a physiological reason. This tempting hypothesis, however, is worthy of further study. Research supported by a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to the Carolina Population Center.     

Sexual activities and attitudes of adolescent Koreans

Data regarding the sexual behaviors of 849 Korean adolescents ( years) were collected. Behaviors reported for males vs. females were 36.5 vs. 27.0% for kissing, 27.2 vs. 14.8% for petting, and 22.9 vs. 9.8% for coitus. In addition to reporting a greater number of experiences, males reported a greater number of partners for all three behavior categories. Among those who participated in coitus, nearly one third of the males and two thirds of the females reported only one partner. Two thirds of the males considered their recent experiences with coitus to be satisfactory, whereas over half of the females gave a neutral response. About 37% of males and 55% of females reported that their most recent coital experience was less than a month ago. On average, the coitally active adolescents began sexual activity at about 18 years of age. Interpretations of these data must take into consideration the respondents' hesitancy in the Korean setting to admit to having sexual experiences. Because premarital sex for adolescents is considered very undesirable in the Korean social setting, the respondents' reporting bias might be in the direction of underreporting. Findings are discussed in the context of unplanned pregnancy and abortion. This investigation was supported by the Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, World Health Organization, Project No. 91207 BSDA.     

Premarital sexual activity and contraceptive use in Santiago, Chile.

The Santiago Young Adult Reproductive Health Survey was conducted in 1988 to examine the sexual behavior of and contraceptive use among young adults in Chile. The survey was based on multistage household probability samples of 865 women and 800 men aged 15-24 who were living in Santiago in 1988. Findings show that 35 percent of females and 65 percent of males had had premarital intercourse. Among those who had done so, the median age at first experience was 18.4 years for women and 16.4 years for men. Only 20 percent of females and 19 percent of males used contraceptives at first premarital intercourse. Use of contraceptives increased with age at the time of that event. Fertility data reveal that 70 percent of first births were premaritally conceived, and more than one-third of these were born prior to union. The high rates of premarital and unintended pregnancy among young women and the low prevalence of effective contraceptive use indicate a need for greater emphasis on sex education and family planning services directed at adolescents and unmarried young adults in Santiago.     

Correlates of Heterosexual Anal Intercourse Among At-Risk Adolescents and Young Adults

Objectives. We sought to learn what factors are associated with anal intercourse among adolescents and young adults. We examined demographic, behavioral, relationship context, attitudinal, substance use, and mental health correlates of recent heterosexual anal intercourse among adolescents and young adults who reported engaging in recent unprotected sex.Methods. Among 1348 at-risk adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 21 years in 3 US cities, we assessed sexual risk behavior with each sexual partner in the past 90 days. Data were collected from 2000 to 2001.Results. Recent heterosexual anal intercourse was reported by 16% of respondents. Females who engaged in anal intercourse were more likely to be living with a sexual partner, to have had 2 or more partners, and to have experienced coerced intercourse. For males, only a sexual orientation other than heterosexual was a significant predictor of engaging in heterosexual anal intercourse.Conclusions. Our findings document the prevalence of heterosexual anal intercourse among adolescents and young adults who had recent unprotected sex. Among females, the variables associated with anal intercourse relate to the context and power balance of sexual relationships. Different influences for males and females suggest different foci for interventions.Unprotected anal intercourse is a significant HIV risk because the odds of contracting HIV are calculated as 5 times as risky for receptive anal intercourse than for receptive vaginal intercourse.¹ In addition, anal intercourse appears to be increasing: a survey of adults aged 18 to 39 years showed that the rate of anal sex had doubled from 1995 to 2004.² In the most recent National Survey of Family Growth, 35% of women and 40% of men reported engaging in heterosexual anal intercourse in their lifetime.³Many adolescents have engaged in anal intercourse, and the prevalence increases with age. In the National Survey of Family Growth, 8% of adolescent boys and 6% of adolescent girls aged 15 to 17 years reported having had heterosexual anal intercourse. Among those aged 20 to 24 years, 33% of men and 30% of women reported the experience. Data also show that anal intercourse among adolescents and young adults is often unprotected^4–6 and that condom use is less likely than during vaginal intercourse.^5,7 Most studies that have examined race as a factor have not found a significant correlation,^7–9 although some evidence exists that Whites engage in anal intercourse more frequently.⁴Despite the prevalence of anal intercourse among adolescents and young adults, little research exists about related factors. Among adults, substance use is often described as a precipitant or cofactor for heterosexual anal intercourse. In one study, adults who had engaged in anal intercourse were more likely than were those who had not to use alcohol once a week or more; to have used marijuana in the past year; to have used cocaine, crack, or LSD in the past year; or to have ever injected drugs.⁸ Among injection drug users, amphetamine use has been associated with heterosexual anal intercourse,¹⁰ and in a sample of adult women, drug use was significantly associated with engaging in anal intercourse.⁹ This relationship may reflect lowered inhibition during drug use or a common attitude that fosters experimentation with both substances and anal intercourse.A significant relationship exists between anal intercourse and other sexual behaviors. Heterosexual anal intercourse has been associated with a greater number of sexual partners for adults,⁸ college students,^11,12 and male injection drug users.¹⁰ Women who had engaged in anal intercourse also reported more episodes of unprotected vaginal intercourse than did women who had not.¹³ In addition, anal intercourse has been found to be related to other HIV risk behaviors, including injection drug use, having sex with an HIV-positive partner, having sex with a man who has sex with men, or exchanging drugs or money for sex.^4,6–8Halperin has suggested that power in relationships exerts a strong influence in the practice of anal intercourse.¹⁴ Indeed, having a main partner dictate sexual practices was associated with unprotected anal intercourse in a study of women aged 18 to 24 years.⁹ This may be particularly relevant for adolescents and young adults, who may be less sexually experienced and more likely to follow a partner''s lead in sexual activities.Because little is known about factors associated with anal intercourse among adolescents and young adults or their prevalence, we sought to identify demographic, behavioral, relationship context, attitudinal, substance use, and mental health correlates of recent (previous 90 days) experience with anal intercourse among adolescents and young adults. The scant adolescent literature, along with the adult literature, led us to hypothesize that older age, other risky sexual practices (e.g., multiple sexual partners, unprotected vaginal intercourse), and more substance use would be significantly associated with recently engaging in anal intercourse. We also hypothesized that those with a history of aggression (as a proxy for power) in relationships would be more likely to engage in anal intercourse. Because we identified no previous research on the association between anal intercourse and sexual attitudes or mental health, we formulated no hypotheses about these variables.     

Peer and teacher effects on the early onset of sexual intercourse

Objectives. We examined the links between peer rejection and verbal abuse by a teacher during childhood with the early onset of sexual intercourse and the mediating role of delinquent behavior and low self-esteem in this context.Methods. We assessed 312 students (159 girls) in northwestern Quebec annually from kindergarten through seventh grade. Peer identifications were used to assess peer rejection and verbal abuse by teachers from kindergarten through fourth grade. In seventh grade, self-reports were used to assess delinquent behavior, self-esteem, and having sexual intercourse. Multiple sources were used to assess control variables.Results. Multiple imputation-based linear and logistic regressions showed that peer rejection was indirectly associated with a higher risk of early intercourse by its link with lower self-esteem, but only for girls. Verbal abuse by teachers during childhood was directly associated with a higher risk of early sexual intercourse and indirectly by its link with delinquent behavior.Conclusions. The results underline the importance of both peers and teachers in healthy sexual development among youths, especially for girls, and emphasize the need for targeted health and sexual education programs.Although sexual intercourse is a normative event during adolescence,1 the early onset of first intercourse may entail a variety of health-related adjustment problems, especially for girls. Girls who have their first sexual intercourse between the ages of 10 and 14 years have a greater number of sexual partners and a greater probability of having sex with high-risk partners compared with other girls, thus increasing the risk of adolescent pregnancy and of contracting sexually transmitted diseases.2However, the comprehension of the predictors of the early onset of sexual intercourse has often been hampered by a lack of adequate data. Few longitudinal studies exist, and many of them rely on the retrospective recollection of the age of first intercourse and associated risk factors. Moreover, although sexual behavior is likely determined by multiple domains of influence,3 studies have usually focused on only 1 or 2 domains of influence. The main goal of this study was to examine the longitudinal links, including biological, psychological, and social factors, between problematic experiences in the school milieu (i.e., with peers and teachers) during childhood and the early onset of sexual intercourse.According to general problem-behavior theory,4^,5 the early initiation of sexual intercourse is one of a variety of problem behaviors in adolescence that result from common underlying antecedents. In addition to family factors, rejection by the peer group is among the most frequently evoked social antecedents of problem behavior.6 Evidence also suggests that peer rejection is associated with potentially risky sexual behavior among adolescents, namely, having oral sex with multiple partners.7 It is unclear, however, whether peer rejection during childhood also puts youths at risk of premature sexual intercourse in early adolescence.A related question stems from the fact that children’s negative social experiences in school are not limited to rejection from the peer group. Teachers also exert a major influence on children’s developmental adjustment,8 and children who experience frequent verbal abuse by teachers are at significant risk for later behavioral adjustment problems.9 It is possible that negative school-related experiences, in the relationship both with peers and with teachers, may put youngsters on the track not only toward general delinquency but also toward risky sexual behavior such as having early sexual intercourse.The first goal of our study was to examine potential predictive links from peer rejection and verbal abuse by teachers during childhood to the early onset of sexual intercourse.The second goal of our study was to investigate the potential mechanism that might explain any predictive links from peer rejection and verbal abuse by teachers to the early onset of sexual intercourse. General problem-behavior theory4^,5 suggests that problematic social experiences with peers and teachers should increase the risk of early onset of intercourse by their impact on generalized delinquency. In line with this notion, there is evidence for a predictive association between general delinquency and the early onset of sexual intercourse.10There is, however, another possible pathway that might explain a predictive link—especially from peer rejection—to the early onset of sexual intercourse. Specifically, peer rejection has been shown to predict not only delinquent behavior but also low self-esteem.6 Sexual activity may thus serve as a coping mechanism, that is, as a way for adolescents to feel better about themselves. This compensation model of early intercourse is based on findings that many adolescents associate having sexual relations with high status and popularity among peers.7Although prospective data have been reported in only 1 study so far, there is evidence that low self-esteem predicts early sexual intercourse among girls aged 12 to 14 years but not among boys.11 Early sexual intercourse may occur as a coping strategy in response to peer rejection and subsequent low self-esteem, but a similar coping process may also occur as a result of verbal abuse by teachers.We sought to examine the predictive links of peer rejection and verbal abuse by teachers during childhood to the early onset of sexual intercourse and whether these links would be mediated by students exhibiting generally delinquent behavior or having low self-esteem. We examined these associations after we controlled for early deviant characteristics during childhood and for pubertal status, which is an important predictor of sexual intercourse among both girls and boys.12^,13 We also examined whether these links differed for boys and girls.