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The Role of Religiosity in the Relationship Between Parents, Peers, and Adolescent Risky Sexual Behavior

  • Empirical Research
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Abstract

Research has documented a negative relationship between religion and risky sexual behavior. Few studies, however, have examined the processes whereby religion exerts this effect. The present study develops and tests a model of various mechanisms whereby parental religiosity reduces the likelihood of adolescents’ participation in risky sexual behavior (early sexual debut, multiple sexual partners, and inconsistent condom use). Structural equation modeling, using longitudinal data from a sample of 612 African American adolescents (55% female), provided support for the model. The results indicated that parental religiosity influenced adolescent risky sexual behavior through its impact on authoritative parenting, adolescent religiosity, and adolescent affiliation with less sexually permissive peers. Some mediating mechanisms differed by the gender of the respondent, suggesting a “double-standard” for daughters but not for sons. Findings also indicated the importance of messages about sexual behavior that are transmitted to adolescents by their peers. Theoretical and policy implications of the findings are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (MH48165, MH62669), the Center for Disease Control (029136-02), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (1P30DA027827), and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (2R01AA012768, 3R01AA012768-09S1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Family Development, 123 Dawson Hall, University of Georgia, 305 Sanford Dr, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Antoinette Landor

  2. Department of Child and Family Development, 208 Family Science Center (House A), University of Georgia, 403 Sanford Dr, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Leslie Gordon Simons

  3. Department of Sociology, Baldwin Hall, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Ronald L. Simons

  4. Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, 1095 College Station Rd., Athens, GA, 30602, USA

    Gene H. Brody

  5. Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, 6207 Moore Hall, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA

    Frederick X. Gibbons

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  1. Antoinette Landor
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  2. Leslie Gordon Simons
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  5. Frederick X. Gibbons
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Correspondence to Antoinette Landor.

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Landor, A., Simons, L.G., Simons, R.L. et al. The Role of Religiosity in the Relationship Between Parents, Peers, and Adolescent Risky Sexual Behavior. J Youth Adolescence 40, 296–309 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9598-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9598-2

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