Children and teens who engage in sexual behavior are at greater risk for emotional problems, pregnancy, dating violence, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). RAND studies have examined such topics as prevention and intervention strategies, virginity pledges, the influence of the media on adolescent sexual behavior, and the link between romantic teen relationships and later adult marriages.
RAND Health has worked on multiple studies identifying the predictors and consequences of adolescent sexual intercourse. The most recent work, by Dr. Anita Chandra, is the first study to demonstrate a link between exposure to sexual content on television and the experience of a pregnancy before the age of 20.
Research Brief
Two recent studies led by RAND Health behavioral scientist Rebecca Collins examined the impact of TV sex on teenagers’ sexual beliefs and activities.
Journal Article
The authors conducted a review of reviews to identify characteristics of effective sex and relationship education (SRE) interventions and/or programmes in young people to improve sexual health and identify barriers and facilitators for implementation.
News Release
School-based drug education programs for adolescents can have a long-term positive impact on sexual behavior in addition to curbing substance abuse.
Commentary
Essentially, the available research suggests that teaching abstinence alone to teenagers does not work — they are no more likely to delay the start of sexual activity than other teenagers. But research has not been so clear regarding virginity pledges specifically, writes Steven Martino.
Journal Article
Interventions that limit teenagers' exposure to televised sexual content, that provide a more accurate portrayal of sexuality than typically depicted on television or that help adolescents think critically about televised sexual content may help teenagers make more carefully considered decisions about sexual debut.
Journal Article
This article examines data from 2,575 high school students who participated in a teen-dating violence intervention study. The majority of participants were Latino (91%), and the sample was nearly evenly split with respect to gender (51% female). Items from two scales (boy-on-girl violence; girl-on-boy violence) reflecting teens' attitudes about dating violence were calibrated with the graded item response theory (IRT) model and evaluated for differential item functioning (DIF) by gender. Results support the use of IRT scores that account for DIF to minimize measurement error and improve inferences about gender differences in attitudes about dating violence
Journal Article
This study assesses the impact of a school-based drug prevention program, called Project ALERT, on risky sexual behavior among 1901 nonmarried, sexually active young adults who participated in one of two program variations as adolescents.
News Release
Adolescents who have high levels of exposure to television programs that contain sexual content are twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy over the following three years as their peers who watch few such shows.
Research Brief
Offers some practical implications based on the first study to demonstrate a link between exposure to sexual content on TV and subsequently becoming pregnant or being responsible for a pregnancy before the age of 20.
News Release
Making a virginity pledge may help some young people postpone the start of sexual activity.
Journal Article
Adolescents who made pledges to remain virgins until they are married were less likely to be sexually active over the three-year study period than other youth who were similar to them, but who did not make a virginity pledge
Journal Article
Adolescents who see more sexual content on television are more likely to initiate intercourse over the subsequent year.
Journal Article
Adolescents whose sexual communication with their parents involved more repetition felt closer to their parents, felt more able to communicate with their parents in general and about sex, and perceived that discussions had greater openness.
Journal Article
Examines developmental factors that may contribute to higher substance use rates among bisexual than heterosexual women. Adolescent bisexual women were more likely to have been current and solitary substance users and reported poorer mental health.
Journal Article
Data from a national survey of teens were used to assess whether exposure to televised sexual content predicted subsequent pregnancy for girls or responsibility for pregnancy for boys. Exposure to televised sexual content predicted teen pregnancy.
Journal Article
This book chapter explores approaches to examining connections between media content and behavior, using a RAND study of media effects on adolescent teen sexual behavior as an example.
Journal Article
Parents play an important role in the sexual health of their adolescent children. Talking Parents, Healthy Teens is an intervention designed to help parents improve communication with their adolescent children, promote healthy adolescent sexual development, and reduce adolescent sexual risk behaviors.
Journal Article
Acculturation may influence Filipino-American parent-adolescent communication about sex and, consequently, Filipino-American adolescent sexual health.
News Release
December 28, 2006 News Release: Few Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Teens Tell Their Doctor Their Sexual Orientation, RAND Study Finds.
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