Abstract
Prior research acknowledges that families and peers influence adolescents’ sexual behaviors. Far fewer studies have explored whether and how families and peers influence sexual behaviors among emerging adults, especially among those in committed intimate partnerships, while also accounting for dynamics specific to the intimate relationship and respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics. Even less is known about whether and how previous romantic relationship experiences might influence emerging adults’ future sexual behavior both within and outside the confines of committed intimate partnerships. Drawing on longitudinal data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study, we examined how emerging adults’ family backgrounds, peers’ sexual attitudes and behaviors, and past and current relationship experiences influenced their engagement in casual sex and sexual non-exclusivity. We found that each of these contexts was significant predictors of emerging adults’ casual sex, and that both peers and romantic relationship experiences significantly influenced the likelihood of engaging in sexually non-exclusive behaviors among those in committed dating, cohabiting, and marital partnerships. We discuss potential theoretical mechanisms linking these relationships and provide suggestions for future research.
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Data Availability
The public-use data files of the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS) for Waves 1 and 2 are available through ICPSR’s Data Sharing for Demographic Research (DSDR) and may be applied for together at: https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/ICPSR/series/252/studies. Restricted-use data for Waves 1 and 2 may be applied for through ICPSR’s Secure Dissemination or Virtual Data Enclave processes. The public-use data files for Wave 5 are available through the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data’s (NACJD) Fast Track Release at: https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/NACJD/studies/35486. The restricted-use data for Wave 5 may be applied for separately through the NACJD website. Waves 3 and 4 data are not available to the public.
Code Availability
Not applicable.
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Funding
This research received support from The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD036223), and the Center for Family and Demographic Research, Bowling Green State University, which has core funding from The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R24HD050959-01). The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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Appendix A. Correlations Between Continuous Independent Variables
Appendix A. Correlations Between Continuous Independent Variables
Interparental conflict | Peers’ sexual behavior | Peers’ sexual attitudes | Partners’ previous non-exclusivity | Relationship duration | Relationship uncertainty | Respondent age | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Interparental conflict | 1.000 | ||||||
Peers’ sexual behavior | 0.105** | 1.000 | |||||
Peers’ sexual attitudes | 0.062 | 0.709*** | 1.000 | ||||
Partners’ previous non-exclusivity | 0.047 | 0.294*** | 0.174*** | 1.000 | |||
Relationship duration | −0.041 | -0.049 | −0.080* | −0.196*** | 1.000 | ||
Relationship uncertainty | 0.102** | 0.238*** | 0.226*** | 0.214*** | −0.203*** | 1.000 | |
Respondent age | -0.033 | 0.130*** | 0.135*** | 0.063 | 0.242*** | −0.019 | 1.000 |
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Kaufman-Parks, A.M., Longmore, M.A., Manning, W.D. et al. The Influence of Peers, Romantic Partners, and Families on Emerging Adults’ Sexual Behavior. Arch Sex Behav 52, 1561–1573 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02489-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02489-z