Characteristics of Youth Who Report Early Sexual E

Authors: Anna Kågesten Robert Wm Blum

Publish Date: 2015/02/28

Volume: 44, Issue: 3, Pages: 679-694

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Abstract

Early timing of first sex is a common risk factor for adverse sexual and reproductive health SRH outcomes This study explored characteristics and circumstances associated with early sexual experience at or below age 14 among Swedish youth Data were drawn from UngKAB09 a national study of youth SRH in Sweden 24000 youth 16–28 years were randomly selected for a webbased survey with a response rate of 24  Poststratification weights were used to correct for over and underrepresentation in response Adjusted logistic regression was used to model associations with early sexual experience by gender In the final sample N = 5321 49  girls 9 in 10 were sexually experienced of whom 21  reported early first sex In multivariate analysis early sex was significantly associated with 7 of the 9 predictor variables selected for the model among boys and 14 of 15 selected factors among girls Early sex was positively associated with low educational attainment early pubertal onset bisexual identity and girls only rural residence For girls first generation immigrant status greater religiosity conservative sexual attitudes and low Chlamydia knowledge decreased the odds of early sex Early experience was more common if youth had older partners and among girls felt that sex was expected Being in love feelings of intimacy alcohol use at first sex and girls only causal sexual partner and wantedness of first sex were inversely associated with early first sex The findings and implications are discussed in relation to the European and global literature on early sexual experiencesThe authors would like to acknowledge the Department of Social Work at Gothenburg University including the Principal Investigator of UngKAB09 Ronny Tikkanen PhD and the Swedish Institute for Communicable Disease Control for sharing the original data Special thanks also to the technical support from Margareta Forsberg PhD coinvestigator of UngKAB09

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