Citation
White, Candace N. (2014). A multilevel investigation of the influence of family and school level factors on age of sexual initiation: A focus on sex differences.
2014 Add Health Users Conference. Bethesda, MD.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to extend previous research that shows association of individual, family, and contextual characteristics with age of sexual initiation (ASI), by examining the influence of school level factors on ASI, and determining sex differences in predictors of ASI. Add Health data from Waves I and IV were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling, a statistical approach that accounts for the collinearity of individual and school level measures. Individual, family, and school level factors were assessed, including GPA, physical development, perception of peer attitudes about sex, perceived likelihood of higher education, alcohol use, delinquency, family structure, parents' education level, childhood abuse, perception of maternal approval of sex, parental monitoring, parent-child relationship quality, depression; and school level averages on parents' education level, perception of peer attitudes about sex, and likelihood of higher education; and cross-level interactions. Results support hypotheses that both family and school level factors influence age of initiation for girls and boys, and that school mean parental education attainment moderates the influence of individual level factors on age of initiation. Results also show that there are more predictors of ASI for girls than for boys, and that perception of peer approval of sexual activity is a primary predictor of ASI for boys. Implications for policy and intervention/prevention are discussed.
URL
https://addhealth.cpc.unc.edu/wp-content/uploads/docs/events/20140613_Add_Health_Users_Conference_Abstracts.pdfReference Type
Conference proceeding
Book Title
2014 Add Health Users Conference
Author(s)
White, Candace N.
Year Published
2014
City of Publication
Bethesda, MD
Reference ID
6231
