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Peer Selection and Socialization Effects on Adolescent Intercourse Without a Condom and Attitudes About the Costs of Sex
Author(s) -
Henry David B.,
Schoeny Michael E.,
Deptula Daneen P.,
Slavick John T.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
child development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.103
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1467-8624
pISSN - 0009-3920
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01035.x
Subject(s) - psychology , condom , socialization , developmental psychology , social psychology , sexual intercourse , selection (genetic algorithm) , ethnic group , peer group , developed country , population , demography , medicine , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , syphilis , family medicine , computer science , anthropology , artificial intelligence , sociology
This study investigated peer selection and socialization effects on sexual behavior and attitudes using 1,350 15‐ to 18‐year‐old students participating in two waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Regarding socialization effects, friends' intercourse without condoms predicted later individual intercourse without condoms positively. Friends' attitudes about the costs of sex predicted later individual attitudes positively and intercourse without condoms negatively. The latter relation was stronger for females than for males. Regarding selection effects, individual attitudes predicted later friends' attitudes positively, but the strength of this effect varied by ethnicity. The results suggest that adolescents socialize friends to have similar sexual attitudes and behavior but tend to select friends based on similar attitudes rather than similar behaviors.