Antecedents of adolescent initiation of sex, contraceptive use, and pregnancy

Abstract

Objective: To identify the most important antecedents associated with adolescent initiation of sex, contraceptive use, and pregnancy.

Methods: Statistically significant antecedents in more than 250 studies were identified and summarized.

Results: More than 100 antecedents create a complex and detailed picture of the correlates of adolescent sexual behaviors. They describe characteristics of the adolescents themselves, their partners, peers, families, schools, and communities, as well as relationships to these entities. They included antecedents that were inherently sexual and nonsexual.

Conclusions: To reduce teen pregnancy substantially, multiple sexual and nonsexual antecedents in different clusters may need to be addressed.