Studies have examined individual factors such as ethnicity, school record, career ambition and substance abuse, family factors such as parental living arrangement, maternal education, parental communication and parental involvement and peer factors such as peer pressure and relationship status ( Mott et al. While detailed descriptions of young women’s first sexual experiences are available (see, for example, Thompson (1990) or Tolman and colleagues (2003)) much less is known about adolescent boys.Įxisting data provide a demographic portrait of adolescent boys’ early sexual behaviours. These factors should be incorporated in harm-reduction interventions for young men in similar contexts.įirst sexual experiences are considered particularly salient by both adolescents and researchers ( Lewin 1982 Cooksey, Mott and Neubauer 2002 Rebello and Gomes 2009) ( Traeen and Kvalem 1996) ( Holland et al. Mentorship, initiation by the female, and idealising sex as a romantic experience, played important roles in constructing the context of first sex. The dominant narrative of first sex proceeded through three steps: (1) Preparation, which involved identification of a sexualised space, mentoring by an older man, and pre-planning (2) the event, which involved looking for cues indicating sexual interest and consent from a female partner, feelings of fear/nervousness, and first sex itself and (3) afterwards, which involved a return to prior activities, minimal verbal exchange and a general positive feeling, sometimes accompanied by later disappointment. Descriptions of first sex were identified, and then analysed for narrative structure and shared concepts. city were asked about relationships and sexual experiences in a one hour face-to-face semi-structured interview, with two follow-up interviews at 6–9 month intervals. Using qualitative methods, 14 adolescent men (ages 14–16, all low income, most African American) from a mid-sized U.S. Yet these data that are needed to inform STI and early fatherhood prevention efforts, particularly in lower income communities.
society places on them that affect their overall health and well-being," they wrote in an accompanying study editorial, "Any discussions associated with pressures should include topics of 'what it means to be a man' and soliciting and giving consent.There are limited contextual data regarding first sexual experiences of younger adolescent men. "It is critical to engage young men in self-reflection about the real pressures U.S. David Bell, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Samantha Garbers, an associate professor at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health called for stepped-up responsibility. Researchers want more conversations about boys developing healthy relationships and early, age-appropriate sexual education among parents, in schools and in health care settings. Parents may still be reminding their preteen kids to brush their teeth, clean their room and turn their book report in on time.īut are they forgetting something? Like having the sex talk?Ī study released this week in JAMA Pediatrics found that 3.6% to 7.6% of boys and young men say they are having sex before age 13 – or 1 in 13 boys.