According to a latest study, the ages at which teenagers and children have their first sexual intercourse is said to have a significant impact on their delinquent behavior. The level of delinquency increases when there is a case of first intercourse earlier than their peer group and vice versa.
This study was published in February edition of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence. Stacy Armour the co-author of this project is quick to add that it is not the sexual act that is related to delinquency but the timing of which plays a significant role.According to Dana Haynie who supervised this study, children who have their first physical relationship earlier than their friends are not prepared to handle the emotional, behavioral and social consequences of their act.
To address the diversity in social standards across geographical areas, data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health was used. According to this data the average age of first sex varied from 11.25 to 17.5 years for each school. Questions related to delinquent behavior was also included in this information. From the answers in the survey, it was concluded that there is a correlation between early sex and delinquency.
The other factors like race, type of family, academic performance, relationship with parents, socioeconomic status was also included in the study. In the end it was concluded that an adolescent should be developmentally ready before attempting a physical relationship.
Source-Medindia
JYT
