The developmental association of sexual self-concept with sexual behavior among adolescent women

Abstract

Developing a sexual self-concept is an important developmental task of adolescence; however, little empirical evidence describes this development, nor how these changes are related to development in sexual behavior. Using longitudinal cohort data from adolescent women, we invoked latent growth curve analysis to: (1) examine reciprocal development in sexual self-concept (sexual openness, sexual esteem and sexual anxiety) over a four year time frame; (2) describe the relationship of these trajectories with changes in sexual behavior. We found significant transactional effects between these dimensions and behavior: sexual self-concept evolved during adolescence in a manner consistent with less reserve, less anxiety and greater personal comfort with sexuality and sexual behavior. Moreover, we found that sexual self-concept results from sexual behavior, as well as regulates future behavior.

Figure 1

Conceptual triple-trajectory latent growth curve model of sexual openness, sexual esteem, sexual anxiety and coital frequency. Note: (a) Latent factors in bold indicate variables used independently and with coital frequency. (b) Across variable latent factor covariances are illustrated by bold double headed arrows. For illustration purposes, only four of these paths are shown. (c) Within-variable latent factor covariances are represented by regular double headed arrows. (d) Cross lagged effects are shown as dotted single-headed arrows. (e) Latent factor loadings are shown with solid single headed arrows (1,1,1,1 for intercepts; 0,1,2,3 for sexual openness, sexual esteem and sexual anxiety slope; 0, __, __, 1 for coital frequency slope). (f) The observed variable error terms have also been covaried at similar time frames (e.g., throughout enrollment, throughout Year 2, etc.) but are not shown.