TY - JOUR
T1 - Does early sexual debut reduce teenagers' participation in tertiary education? Evidence from the SHARE longitudinal study
AU - Parkes, Alison
AU - Wight, Daniel
AU - Henderson, Marion
AU - West, Patrick
PY - 2010/10/31
Y1 - 2010/10/31
N2 - Negative effects of early sexual debut on academic outcomes can extend beyond secondary school, although concurrent changes in other psychosocial risk factors have not been investigated. Data from three waves of a longitudinal survey of Scottish teenagers were used to examine associations between early sexual debut (first heterosexual intercourse) and both expectations for (N= 5,061) and participation in (N= 2,130) tertiary education at college or university. Early debut was associated with reduced tertiary education, after adjusting for academic performance and wave 1 confounders relating to social background, attitudes and behaviours. Pregnancy/partner pregnancy did not explain all of this finding, as many sexually experienced teenagers opted out of tertiary education after leaving school early for other reasons. Changes in other psychosocial risk factors between waves 1 and 2 mediated much of the association found. Early sexual experience may predict disengagement from tertiary education, although further research is needed to explore causal pathways.
AB - Negative effects of early sexual debut on academic outcomes can extend beyond secondary school, although concurrent changes in other psychosocial risk factors have not been investigated. Data from three waves of a longitudinal survey of Scottish teenagers were used to examine associations between early sexual debut (first heterosexual intercourse) and both expectations for (N= 5,061) and participation in (N= 2,130) tertiary education at college or university. Early debut was associated with reduced tertiary education, after adjusting for academic performance and wave 1 confounders relating to social background, attitudes and behaviours. Pregnancy/partner pregnancy did not explain all of this finding, as many sexually experienced teenagers opted out of tertiary education after leaving school early for other reasons. Changes in other psychosocial risk factors between waves 1 and 2 mediated much of the association found. Early sexual experience may predict disengagement from tertiary education, although further research is needed to explore causal pathways.
KW - education
KW - longitudinal
KW - pregnancy
KW - sexual debut
KW - teenager
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77956177753&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.adolescence.2009.10.006
DO - 10.1016/j.adolescence.2009.10.006
M3 - Article
C2 - 19897236
AN - SCOPUS:77956177753
VL - 33
SP - 741
EP - 754
JO - Journal of Adolescence
JF - Journal of Adolescence
SN - 0140-1971
IS - 5
ER -