Understanding multiple levels of norms about teen pregnancy and their relationships to teens' sexual behaviors

Abstract

Researchers seeking to understand teen sexual behaviors often turn to age norms, but they are difficult to measure quantitatively. Previous work has usually inferred norms from behavioral patterns or measured group-level norms at the individual level, ignoring multiple reference groups. Capitalizing on the multilevel design of the Add Health survey, we measure teen pregnancy norms perceived by teenagers, as well as average norms at the school and peer network levels. School norms predict boys' perceived norms, while peer network norms predict girls' perceived norms. Peer network and individually perceived norms against teen pregnancy independently and negatively predict teens' likelihood of sexual intercourse. Perceived norms against pregnancy predict increased likelihood of contraception among sexually experienced girls, but sexually experienced boys' contraceptive behavior is more complicated: When both the boy and his peers or school have stronger norms against teen pregnancy he is more likely to contracept, and in the absence of school or peer norms against pregnancy, boys who are embarrassed are less likely to contracept. We conclude that: (1) patterns of behavior cannot adequately operationalize teen pregnancy norms, (2) norms are not simply linked to behaviors through individual perceptions, and (3) norms at different levels can operate independently of each other, interactively, or in opposition. This evidence creates space for conceptualizations of agency, conflict, and change that can lead to progress in understanding age norms and sexual behaviors.

Keywords: Add Health; Social norms; adolescent sexual behavior; age norms; gender; peer influence; school contexts; social psychology; teen pregnancy.

Fig. 1

Scatter plot of school and peer embarrassment levels, National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), 1995–1996. Notes: N = 3,879.

Fig. 2

The relative influence of school, peer, and self-embarrassment related to sexual behaviors among males and females, National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), 1995–1996. Notes: N = 3,879 for self embarrassment and sexual intercourse; N = 1,864 for contraception. Analyses are based on Table 2 and Model 1 in Tables 3–4 and adjust for complex survey design (clustering, stratification, and probability weights). Shows fitted probabilities for each outcome (dots) as a function of a one standard deviation increase and decrease in each domain (bars). For example, the dot for the line in the upper left says that the probability of boys being embarrassed at the prospect of pregnancy is around 0.68. A one standard deviation increase in school-level embarrassment increases boys’ probability of being embarrassed to around 0.76, and a one standard deviation decrease in school embarrassment reduces their probability of being embarrassed to about 0.58.

Fig. 3

The likelihood of sexual intercourse for boys as a function of individual and peer pregnancy norms, National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), 1995–1996. Notes: N = 1,803. Predicted probabilities based on Table 3, last column. Analyses adjust for complex survey design (clustering, stratification, and probability weights). X-axis values use the interquartile range for peer network norms.

Fig. 4

Contraceptive use at last sex among males as a function of individual and school level pregnancy norms, National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), 1995–1996. Notes: N = 864. Predicted probabilities based on Table 4, last column. Analyses adjust for complex survey design (clustering, stratification, and probability weights). X-axis values use the interquartile range for school norms.