How Patterns of Learning About Sexual Information Among Adolescents Are Related to Sexual Behaviors

Abstract

Context: Parents, peers and media are informal sources of sexual information for adolescents. Although the content of sexual information communicated by these sources is known to vary, little is known about what adolescents report actually learning from each source.

Methods: Data from 1,990 U.S.14-17-year-olds who participated in an online survey in 2015 were used to assess learning about four topics (sex, condoms, hormonal birth control and romantic relationships) from three informal sources (parents, peers, and television and movies). Gender and race differences in learning by source and topic were assessed using t tests. Following a factor analysis, learning about all topics was grouped by source, and regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between learning from each source and three outcomes: sexual activity, condom use and hormonal birth control use. Models included interactions between information sources and race and gender.

Results: White adolescents reported learning more from parents and less from media than black adolescents. Compared with males, females learned more about hormonal birth control and less about condoms from their parents, and more about relationships from peers and media. Learning from parents and from peers were positively associated with adolescents' sexual activity (unstandardized coefficients, 0.26 and 0.52, respectively). Learning from parents was positively associated with condom use (odds ratio, 1.5).

Conclusion: Adolescents' learning about sex from informal sources varies by race and gender. Future research should examine whether sexual health interventions and message development can capitalize on these differences.

FIGURE 1. Linear prediction of sexual activity, by information source, according to gender

Notes: Interactions shown are those that were significant in regression analyses (Table 4). Learning is measured on a scale ranging from 1=“nothing at all” to 4=“a lot.” Sexual activity is measured on an ordered difficulty index ranging from 1=“kissing” to 9=“performing oral sex.”