Initiation of Coitus in Early Adolescence

This paper examines the determinants of initiation of coitus in early adolescence. Using a panel design on the population of whole schools, we tested determinants in three domains: motivation, social controls, and attractiveness. We obtained measures of variables from respondents, their identified friends, parents, and interviewers. We interpret the results within the framework of other findings from a hormone analysis of a partially overlapping sample. White males' initiation of coitus in early adolescence is dominated by motivational hormone effects and social attractiveness, with no observed effects of social controls. White females' initiation of coitus is dominated by the effects of social controls. We observed no effect of attractiveness, no hormone effects, and no effects of sexual motivation. Black females' initiation of coitus is dominated by their level of pubertal development (an attractiveness variable), with no observed effects of social controls.