Introduction

Research has documented multiple levels of influences on adolescent sexual behavior but has generally focused less on the relational nature of this behavior. Studies with dyadic data have provided important findings on relationship process, including the role of gender in different-sex dyads. However, both of these bodies of literature typically utilize a variable-centered approach, which examines average influences of particular variables on sexual behavior. This study expands upon this research by presenting a dyad-centered approach to adolescent sexual behavior that can identify types of couples based on patterns of multidimensional risk and protective factors.

Methods

I demonstrate the dyad-centered approach using data from different-sex dyads in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to uncover profiles marked by individual, parent, peer, and religion predictors for both male and female partners.

Results

Analyses uncovered five classes of dyadic influences, four of which were marked by relative similarity between partners and one marked by lesser approval of sex for women compared with men. Dyads marked by both partners intending to have sex and being in a context that is more approving of sex were more likely to engage in sexual intercourse.

Conclusions

Findings demonstrate the heterogeneity of influences and intentions to have sex among adolescent couples and identify profiles of dyads that are more likely to engage in sexual intercourse. This approach can explicate dyadic processes involved in sexual behavior and the types of couples that exist in a population, leading to more tailored and efficacious interventions.

中文翻译：

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不仅仅是他们各部分的总和：以二元为中心的理解青少年性行为的方法

介绍

研究记录了对青少年性行为的多层次影响，但通常较少关注这种行为的关系性质。对二元数据的研究提供了关系过程的重要发现，包括性别在不同性别二元关系中的作用。然而，这两种文献通常都采用以变量为中心的方法，该方法检查特定变量对性行为的平均影响。本研究扩展了这项研究，提出了一种以二元组为中心的青少年性行为方法，该方法可以根据多维风险和保护因素的模式来识别夫妻类型。

方法

我在全国青少年到成人健康纵向研究中使用来自不同性别二元组的数据展示了以二元组为中心的方法，以揭示男性和女性伴侣的个人、父母、同龄人和宗教预测因素标记的概况。

结果

分析发现了五类二元影响，其中四种以伴侣之间的相对相似为特征，另一种以女性对性的认可度低于男性为特征。以双方都打算发生性行为并且处于更赞同性行为的环境为标志的二元组更有可能进行性交。

结论

研究结果表明，青少年夫妇发生性行为的影响和意图存在异质性，并确定了更有可能发生性行为的二人组概况。这种方法可以解释性行为中涉及的二元过程和人口中存在的夫妻类型，从而导致更有针对性和更有效的干预措施。