The report states that those who have their first sexual encounter later in life also have different experiences than those who begin having sex earlier. Also, these people may be more “choosy” when it comes to their sexual partners, which would mean that it might take them longer to begin taking part in sexual activity unless they are extremely satisfied with the person they will be having sex with. One, in particular, is that individuals who start having sex later on also have certain character traits, such as secure attachment style, which may have an effect on the onset of sexual activity and on relationships. Harden said that there are many factors that may explain this correlation. Early initiation does not seem to be a “risk” factor in the same way that late initiation was shown to be a “protective” factor in shaping protective outcomes. However, the Early and On-Time participants in this particular study appeared to have similar outcomes later on. Research has focused on the consequences of starting sexual activity early in life. When the first sexual experience occurs in a person’s life, according to this study, is a predictor of whether people will have stable and romantic relationships as young adults.
These findings indicate that the timing of when a person first has sexual intercourse clearly influences the stability and quality of future romantic relationships. It was not possible to explain the association by variations in adult academic levels, annual income, religious status, or by BMI (body mass index), attractiveness or teenage differences in dating involvement. The link still stood even after genetic and environmental factors were taken into account. Also, later involvement in sexuality resulted in lower chances of marriage and these individuals did not have as many romantic partners during adulthood as the Early and On-Time groups. Harden discovered that later involvement in sexual activity was linked to higher attainment of goals educationally, as well as more income during adult years, than those in the Early and On-Time groups. The individuals were put into 3 categories based on the timing they first participated in sexual intercourse Early (younger than 15), On-Time (ages 15 to 19), and Late (older than 19). Paige Harden, a psychological scientist, decided to look into whether when adolescents begin to engage in sexual activity can forecast future romantic outcomes, including number of sexual partners, living with spouses, and marriage, as well as whether the person will be happy in their partnership during adulthood.ĭata was collected from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health to examine1659 pairs of same sex siblings who were studied from around the ages of 16 to 29 (adolescence to young adulthood). What Part Does Early Sexual Experience Play In Later Outcomes?