D. Treboux et Na. Buschrossnagel, AGE-DIFFERENCES IN PARENT AND PEER INFLUENCES ON FEMALE SEXUAL-BEHAVIOR, Journal of research on adolescence, 5(4), 1995, pp. 469-487
The aim of this study was to develop and test a model of the influence
of parents and friends on adolescent female sexual behavior that woul
d integrate age-related changes in these influences. Self-report measu
res assessing discussion of sexual topics with parents and friends, pe
rceived approval of sexual behavior, sexual attitudes, and sexual beha
vior were administered to 267 high-school and college-aged female subj
ects. As expected, results suggested that the influence of friends and
parents varied as a function of the age of the adolescent. The effect
s of discussion with mother and parental approval on sexual behavior o
perated indirectly through sexual attitudes, with the effect of discus
sion with mother being the strongest in the 9th and 10th grade. The in
direct influence of friends' approval on sexual behavior via sexual at
titudes varied across the three age groups, peaking in 11th-12th grade
s; the direct effect of friends' approval on sexual behavior peaked in
the college sample.