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Abstract #146774

Aubrey Spriggs, BS MA, Carolina Population Center, Department of Maternal & Child Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Rosenau Hall, CB#7445, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445, 919-923-0118, spriggs@email.unc.edu and Carolyn T. Halpern, PhD, Department of Maternal and Child Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Rosenau Hall, CB 7445, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7445.

BACKGROUND: One rationale for current U.S. adolescent reproductive health policy is that premarital sexual debut, especially during adolescence, causes psychological harm. However, relevant data are limited in quantity and quality. Knowledge of longer-term psychological outcomes of adolescent sexual debut may enlighten this debate. METHODS: This study included persons who participated in Waves I and III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, who had not debuted before Wave I, and were age 18-22 at Wave III (n=5,299). Self-reported age at sexual debut was categorized as early adolescent (<16), typical adolescent (16 to 18), or post-adolescent (>18 and Wave III virgins). Participants self-reported frequency of feeling depressed in the prior week. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression analyses stratified by gender were performed in Stata 9 using survey commands. RESULTS: Eighteen percent of youth initiated sexual intercourse early in adolescence, 50% experienced typical debut timing, and 32% did not debut in adolescence. Bivariate analyses revealed females with early and typical adolescent debut were significantly more likely to report Wave III depressive feelings than those with post-adolescent debut; for males, debut timing was unrelated to depressive feelings. In multivariate models controlling for age, race, adolescent family structure, parent education, and pre-debut depression, the association between adolescent sexual debut and Wave III depressive feelings for females became insignificant. CONCLUSION: When pre-debut depression is accounted for, sexual debut during adolescence is unrelated to adult depressive feelings. Reproductive health policy based on claims of psychological harm caused by adolescent sexual debut should be reexamined.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe how persons with early, typical and late sexual debut vary in their personal and family characteristics
• Articulate the relationship between sexual debut timing and emerging adult depressive symptoms
• Discuss the suitability of psychological harm attributable to adolescent sexual debut as supportive evidence for current reproductive health policy

Keywords: Sexual Behavior, Adolescent Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.