First Sexual Partner

Characteristics of Teens’ First Sexual Partner: 

Characteristics of Teens’ First Sexual Partner

This Presentation Covers 2 Areas:: 

This Presentation Covers 2 Areas: What we know about teens’ first sexual partner Major findings from recent Campaign publications produced through PWWTW

Teen Pregnancy in the United States: 

Teen Pregnancy in the United States

Slide4: 

Some good news… Henshaw, S. (2003). U.S. teenage pregnancy statistics with comparative statistics for women aged 20-24. New York: The Alan Guttmacher Institute. After increasing 23 percent between 1972 and 1990 (including 10 percent between 1987 and 1990), the teen pregnancy rate for girls aged 15-19 decreased 28 percent between 1990 and 2000 to a record low.

More Good News…: 

More Good News… Teen pregnancy and birth rates are down. Decreasing percentage of teens who have ever had sex (16%). Decreasing percentage of teens with four or more partners (24%). Increasing condom use (25%). Note: changes over 1991-2001 from the YRBS, high school students in grades 9-12.) Source: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5138.pdf

Some Bad News…: 

Some Bad News… The U.S. still has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the industrialized world.

34% of Girls Get Pregnant at Least Once Before the Age of 20: 

34% of Girls Get Pregnant at Least Once Before the Age of 20 Source: National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy analysis of Henshaw, S.K., U.S.. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics, New York: Alan Guttmacher Institute, May, 1996; and Forrest, J.D., Proportion of U.S. Women Ever Pregnant Before Age 20, New York: Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1986, unpublished.

This translates into: : 

This translates into: About 850,000 pregnancies to teens per year in the US. Almost 100 teen girls get pregnant each hour.

Slide9: 

ﴀ ﴀ 9 Characteristics of Teens’ First Sexual Partner MAJOR FINDINGS

Information from PWWTW Issue Brief: 

Information from PWWTW Issue Brief Science Says: “Characteristics of Teens’ First Sexual Partners” Developed by Child Trends and the National Campaign. Based on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health) Waves 1 and 2.

What We Know About Teens’ First Sexual Partners?: 

What We Know About Teens’ First Sexual Partners? Almost half (47%) of high school-aged teens in the U.S. have had sex. A 2002 National Campaign survey found that 63% of teens aged 12-19 wish they had waited longer before having sex. Knowing more about the characteristics of teens’ first sexual relationships can help inform efforts to delay first sex.

How Teens Meet Their First Partners: 

How Teens Meet Their First Partners More than 2 in 5 (42%) sexually experienced adolescents report they were already friends with their first sexual partners before their sexual relationship began.

How Teens Met Their First Sexual Partner (Grades 7-12): 

How Teens Met Their First Sexual Partner (Grades 7-12)

How Teens Meet: Gender Differences: 

Boys are more likely than girls to have met their first sexual partner at school or place of worship (31% vs. 21%). Girls were more likely than boys to report that their first sexual partner was a friend of a friend (19% vs. 12%). How Teens Meet: Gender Differences

Couple-Like Behaviors: 

Teens were likely to participate in “couple-like” behavior with their partners before having sex for the first time, including: Going out together in a group Going out together alone Meeting their partner’s parents Thinking of themselves as a couple Telling others they were a couple Spending less time with other friends Exchanging presents Exchanging “I Love You” Couple-Like Behaviors

Couple-Like Behaviors: 

Couple-Like Behaviors

Couple-Like Behaviors: Race, Gender, Age: 

Couple-Like Behaviors: Race, Gender, Age Among sexually experienced teens, Blacks reported fewer couple-like behaviors before having sex for the first time than Whites or Hispanics. Boys were less likely than girls to think of themselves as part of a couple (80% vs. 86%) before having sex for the first time. Couple-like activities are less common among teens who had first sex very young (14 or younger) than among older teens.

Intimate Behavior: 

Intimate Behavior Before having sexual intercourse for the first time, most teens report other intimate behavior with their partners, including kissing (93%), holding hands (88%), touching under clothes (83%) or touching each other’s genitals (69%). White teens are more likely than Hispanic or Black teens to report intimate behavior with their partner before first sex. Girls are slightly more likely than boys to report a greater amount of intimate behavior.

Contraception Discussions: 

Contraception Discussions Forty percent of teens never talked about contraception with their partner before having sex for the first time. More girls (62%) than boys (55%) report talking about contraception before first sex. Hispanic teens (50%) were less likely than White (61%) or Black teens (59%) to discuss contraception before having sex for the first time.

Contraception Discussions and Couple-Like Behaviors: 

Contraception Discussions and Couple-Like Behaviors Teens who had more couple-like behaviors were more likely to discuss contraception before having sexual intercourse for the first time. Only 29% of teens reporting 0-4 couple-like behaviors talked about contraception before first sex, compared to 75% of teens reporting 7-8 such activities.

Contraceptive Discussions and Intimate Activities: 

Contraceptive Discussions and Intimate Activities Teens who had more intimate behaviors were more likely to discuss contraception before having sexual intercourse for the first time. Only 30% of teens who reported 0-2 intimate behaviors discussed contraception before first sex, compared to 68% of teens who reported all four.

Slide22: 

ﴀ ﴀ 22 Characteristics of Teens’ First Sexual Partner IMPLICATIONS

Adults Take Notice: 

Adults Take Notice Teens who have a regular dating partner are more likely to have sex than those who do not.

Adults Take Notice: 

Adults Take Notice Most teens say they had done many couple-like activities before the first time they had sexual intercourse. Most teens describe their first sexual partners as a friend, meet them through their friends, school or place of worship. Just over half (60%) of teens talked about contraception with their partner before having sex for the first time.

Adults Take Notice: Parents: 

Adults Take Notice: Parents If your teen has a steady dating partner, sexual intercourse may become part of that relationship. Encourage your children to talk honestly about their relationships in order to help avoid potentially risky situations. Strong parent-teen relationships, effective communication about sex and related topics, and monitoring behavior can help reduce the risk for early and unprotected sex among teens.

Adults Take Notice: Program Providers: 

Adults Take Notice: Program Providers Other research has demonstrated a link between discussions about contraception and a greater likelihood of using it. This research shows 4 in 10 teens did not discuss contraception before having sex for the first time. Programs should emphasize the importance of discussing contraception before having sex.

Adults Take Notice: Groups at Special Risk : 

Adults Take Notice: Groups at Special Risk Teens in more casual relationships (those who report fewer couple-like behaviors) are less likely to discuss contraception. They include: Teens who first have sex at age 14 or younger African American teens Boys Hispanic teens are least likely to discuss contraception with their partners

Bottom Line….: 

Understanding more about the characteristics of teens’ first sexual partner can help reduce the likelihood that teens will engage in early and unprotected sex. Bottom Line….

For more information: : 

For more information: Visit www.teenpregnancy.org Thank You!

Putting What Works to Work (PWWTW): 

Putting What Works to Work (PWWTW)

PWWTW: What?: 

PWWTW: What? Cooperative Agreement funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Goal: Enhance the ability of state and local organizations to incorporate science-based approaches into their teen pregnancy prevention efforts.

PWWTW: How?: 

PWWTW: How? Produce high-quality, research-based, user-friendly materials. Use these materials to encourage states, communities, and national organizations to incorporate research-based practices into their work. Go beyond the “usual suspects” and reach out to media executives, state legislators, funders and other opinion leaders.