The influence of male and female best friends on adolescent sexual behavior

Abstract

Using panel data from a junior high school system in an urban area of Florida, we examine whether adolescents' best same-sex and best opposite-sex friends' sexual intercourse behavior increases the likelihood that respondents who are virgins at round 1 will make the transition to intercourse between rounds of our study. We find no significant influence effects of friends of either sex for black males or females, or white males. In contrast, white females are influenced by the sexual behavior of both their best female friend and best male friend. A virgin white female whose best friends of both sexes were sexually experience at round 1 was almost certain to have sexual intercourse within the two years of our study.

PIP: Using panel data from a Florida junior high school system, this 2 year study examines what effect the sexual intercourse behavior of a white female's male and female best friend has on her transition from virgin to nonvirgin. There was no significant influence found among best friends of either sex for blacks or white males. However, the results for white female adolescents reveals the following: 1) a girl virgin at round 1 is 6 times as likely to make an intercourse transition by round 2 if her best female friend is a nonvirgin, 3 times as likely if her best male friend is a nonvirgin, 2) a virgin at round 1 having at least one nonvirgin best friend of either sex is 2 times as likely to have intercourse by round 2 than if both friends are virgins, and 3) if both male and female best friends are nonvirgins the virgin white female was almost sure to make an intercourse transition. The sexual status of the best male friend, even if influential because of his potential participation in the white female intercourse transition, has an equal effect on the virginity status of the white female as does the best girl friend's sexual status.