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Women Who Began Having Sex as Teens Are = More Likely=20 to Divorce, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (June 14, 2011) =97 = A University=20 of Iowa study found that women who make their sexual debut as young = teens are=20 more likely to divorce, especially if "the first time" was unwanted, or = if she=20 had mixed feelings about it.

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Published in the April issue of the Journal of Marriage and = Family,=20 the analysis found that 31 percent of women who had sex for the first = time as=20 teens divorced within five years, and 47 percent divorced within 10 = years. The=20 divorce rate for women who delayed sex until adulthood was far lower: 15 = percent=20 at five years, and 27 percent at 10 years.

Author Anthony Paik, associate professor of sociology in the UI = College of=20 Liberal Arts and Sciences, examined the responses of 3,793 ever-married = women to=20 the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth.

A first sexual experience that was unwanted or not completely wanted = was=20 strongly associated with divorce. If the young woman chose to lose her = virginity=20 as a teen, the results were more nuanced.

When the first intercourse took place early in adolescence -- before = the age=20 of 16 -- the women were more likely to divorce, even if that first = sexual=20 experience was wanted.

If the young woman waited until age 16 or 17 and the first sex was = wanted,=20 there was no direct link to dissolution down the road. But, while the = sex itself=20 did not increase the likelihood of a marital split, other factors = related to=20 sexuality -- such as a higher number of sexual partners, pregnancy, or=20 out-of-wedlock birth -- increased the risk for some respondents.

Thirty-one percent of women who experienced adolescent sexual debut = had=20 premarital sex with multiple partners, compared to 24 percent of those = who=20 waited. Twenty-nine percent experienced premarital conceptions, versus = 15=20 percent who waited. And, one in four women who had sex during their = teenage=20 years had a baby before they were married, compared to only one in ten = who held=20 off.

"The results are consistent with the argument that there are down = sides to=20 adolescent sexuality, including the increased likelihood of divorce," = Paik said.=20 "But there's also support for the 'more sex positive' view, because if a = teen=20 delays sex to late adolescence and it is wanted, that choice in itself = doesn't=20 necessarily lead to increased risk of divorce."

Only a small percentage of women who had sex before age 18 said it = was=20 completely wanted. Just 1 percent chose to have sex at age 13 or = younger, 5=20 percent at age 14 or 15, and 10 percent at age 16 or 17. Another 42 = percent=20 reported first sexual intercourse before age 18 that was not completely = wanted,=20 while the remaining portion of the sample waited until age 18 or older = to have=20 sex (wanted, 22 percent; unwanted, 21 percent).

Paik said there are a couple potential explanations for the link = between teen=20 sex and divorce.

"One possibility is a selection explanation, that the women who had = sex as=20 adolescents were predisposed to divorce. The attitudes that made them = feel OK=20 about having sex as teens may have also influenced the outcome of their=20 marriage," Paik said. "The other possibility is a causal explanation -- = that the=20 early sexual experience led to the development of behaviors or beliefs = that=20 promote divorce."

In a statistical analysis, he found more evidence for the latter, = suggesting=20 that the sexual experiences as a teen affected the marriage. The results = related=20 to unwanted sex supported his hunch. Nevertheless, he cautions that it = is too=20 early to rule out the selection explanation.

"If the sex was not completely wanted or occurred in a traumatic = context,=20 it's easy to imagine how that could have a negative impact on how women = might=20 feel about relationships, or on relationship skills," Paik said. "The = experience=20 could point people on a path toward less stable relationships."

Limitations of the study included a lack of information on = respondents' work=20 status, which is often used as a control factor in divorce research, and = the=20 fact that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data included = some=20 imputed values. Paik arrived at the same results by excluding the = imputed=20 figures, but would like to repeat the study with the new 2006-08 data to = confirm=20 that the findings still hold.

"It's a timely topic, given the current debate over the sexualization = of=20 girls," Paik said. "This study tries to provide some answers about = adolescent=20 sexuality and the risk of marital dissolution, and the results show that = both=20 the context and early onset of first intercourse are associated with=20 divorce."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted (with editorial adaptations by=20 ScienceDaily staff) from materials provided by University of Iowa Health = Care.

Journal Reference:

Anthony Paik. Adolescent Sexuality and the Risk of Marital = Dissolution. Journal of Marriage and Family, 2011; = 73 (2):=20 472 DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00819.x

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited = instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to = provide=20 medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not = necessarily=20 reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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