Contexts of Adolescent Boys' Early Sexual Experiences

Purpose: Our understanding of early sexual experiences of adolescent boys is limited to counts – age at first sex, number of partners, etc. However, little is known about the relationship contexts in which these sexual experiences occur. Using qualitative methods, we examined the contexts of early romantic and sexual experiences among adolescent boys. Methods: As part of an ongoing longitudinal study of relational and contextual influences on STIs, thirty-three 14-16 year old males were recruited from a teen clinic in Indianapolis. Over 18-24 months, participants completed 3 face-to-face semi-structured interviews and were asked open ended questions about romantic relationships and sexual experiences. Results: At baseline, mean age was 14.9 years, ethnicities included African American (30), white (2), and Latino (1), and 16 were sexually experienced. From a relationship perspective, participants expressed a desire for intimacy, friendship, trust and connection. Few participants described a “gamesmanship” of relationships and sex. Prior to becoming sexually active, many males expressed vulnerability and insecurity about their knowledge of sex, ability to sexually perform and their comfort level toward engaging in sexual activity. Many first sexual experiences were in a casual/spontaneous scenario, even when the young man had an established girlfriend relationship and almost always girls were described as the sexual “initiators.” Conclusions: In contrast to common assumptions about adolescent boys' romantic behavior, we observed an interest in intimacy and investment in relationships. Sex was experienced separately from relationships and these data suggest the need to further explore how these differences influence young men's sexual health.