Recent research finds that the way in which the first sexual experience occurred during adolescence and romantic ties in adulthood are related.
In her study, scientific psychologist Paige Harden investigated how the timing of adolescent sexual initiation influences later romantic outcomes, such as whether people marry or live with their partners, how many romantic partners they have, and whether they are satisfied with their relationship or not in adulthood.
To answer these questions, Harden and his colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health conducted among siblings of the same sex, which were followed from adolescence (around 16) to young adulthood. (about 29).
Harden's findings were presented in a research paper published in the Association for Psychological Science journal Psychological Science..
Apparently, to begin with, those who had the first sexual experience at a later age, generally achieved a higher educational level and higher family income in adulthood, compared to those who had it at a younger age.
People who had a first sexual experience later were also less likely to be married and had fewer romantic partners in adulthood..
Among subjects who were married or living with a partner, later sexual initiation was also associated with lower levels of dissatisfaction with their partner during adulthood.
The researchers found that these associations for late sexual experience were unchanged when genetic and environmental factors were taken into account. Nor could they be explained by differences in the subjects' educational level, income or religiosity, nor by differences in the participation of adolescents in dating, or their body attractiveness..
Experts believe that the results affirm that the time of first experience with sexual intercourse predicts the quality and stability of romantic relationships in young adulthood..
The researchers also say that the data suggest that early initiation is not as much a "risk" factor as late initiation is a "protective" factor in shaping the outcomes of future relationships..
According to Harden, there are several possible mechanisms that could explain this relationship..
One of them would be that people who have the first sexual encounter later also have certain specific personality characteristics (for example, a secure attachment style) that have effects on sexual delay and the quality of the relationship..
Another aspect could be that they were more selective in their choice of romantic and sexual partners, hence this delay in entering intimate relationships appears, unless they think they are going to be really satisfactory.
Finally, Harden said that it is possible that "individuals who are intimate at a later age, after they have accumulated greater cognitive and emotional maturity, can learn more effective relationship skills than individuals who learn patterns of intimate relationships while still they are teenagers. "
Experts say that additional research is needed to corroborate which of these mechanisms may actually be the greatest indicator of association between the moment of the first sexual encounter and the results in future relationships..
According to her: "We are beginning to understand how adolescents' sexual experiences influence their development and relationships in the future.".
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