NONCOITAL SEXUAL INTERACTIONS AND PROBLEM BEHAVIOR AMONG YOUNG ADOLESCENTS - THE NORWEGIAN LONGITUDINAL HEALTH BEHAVIOR STUDY

This paper focuses on whether early onset of noncoital sexual interact ions is best considered in the same paradigm as adolescent problem beh aviour. Among adolescents (n=927) followed longitudinally from age 13 to 15, the interrelationships between noncoital sexual interactions an d various problem and conventional behaviours were examined. Early ons et of noncoital sexual interactions was related to problem behaviour, and the higher ordered the noncoital sexual interaction was, the more strongly it correlated with measures of problem behaviour. This study provides support for the usefulness of the notion of an underlying fac tor of proneness to problem behaviours, which is relevant when studyin g developmental change in terms of accumulation of early noncoital sex ual experience. It is suggested that in the construction of countermea sures to prevent the negative consequences of early sexual activities among adolescents, it may be useful to target broader correlates of be haviour. (C) 1997 The Association for Professionals in Services for Ad olescents.