Onset of Sexual Intercourse among Female Adolescents: The Influence of Perceptions, Depression, and Ecological Factors

Abstract Purpose This study examined the extent to which perceptions of sex, depression, and other personal and social factors influenced onset of sexual intercourse during maturation among female adolescents. Methods Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used. Participants were 3,644 female adolescents 15–19 years of age who completed the wave 1 In-Home Interview. Logistic regression was used to predict onset of sexual intercourse at waves 1, 2, and 3. Variables examined were age, race, depression, self-esteem, sexual intercourse, religiosity, alcohol use, perceptions of sex, mother connectedness, father connectedness, peer connectedness, and school connectedness. Interaction effects among these variables with depression were examined. Results Ambivalent perceptions of sex, in addition to closer relationships with one's father, peers, and school environment, were associated with delaying onset of sexual intercourse among non-depressed teens. Perceptions of sex did not influence engagement in sexual intercourse among depressed adolescents. Close maternal relationships delayed onset of sexual intercourse among depressed adolescent females, whereas the interactions between depression and father connectedness, peer connectedness, and school connectedness were associated with having sex. Conclusions Different strategies are needed to address sexual behaviors for non-depressed and depressed female teens. Public health programs concerned with influencing sexual perceptions among non-depressed female adolescents should incorporate parents, peers, and school activities into their planning and implementation. Because depression in combination with connection to the environment was a significant risk factor for sexual intercourse, future research must explore the factors that delay sexual intercourse, particularly for teenage girls with depression.