ADOLESCENT HETEROSEXUAL EXPERIENCE - A NEW TYPOLOGY

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to define a typology that encomp asses the full range of adolescent heterosexual behavior; to compare t he usefulness of the new typology with that of the traditional dichoto my of ''sexually active''/''sexually inactive'' for understanding sexu al behavior among adolescents; and to determine the implications of th e new typology for the design and implementation of HIV prevention pro grams targeting adolescents. Methods: Detailed face-to-face interviews were conducted with a cross-sectional sample of 907 mothers and their adolescents, ages 14-17 years, recruited from public high schools in Alabama, New York, and Puerto Rico. Information from the adolescent su rvey on precoital sexual behaviors and STD/HIV sexual risk and risk re duction behaviors was examined. A typology of adolescent heterosexual experiences was constructed using four behavioral dimensions. Results: Ninety-nine percent (n = 894) of the sample was classified into one o f the five patterns of sexual experience: Delayers, Anticipators, One- timers, Steadies, and Multiples. Among the participants who were not s exually active, precoital behaviors differed significantly between the 22% who anticipated initiating sexual intercourse in the next year (A nticipators) and those who did not (Delayers). Among those traditional ly classified as ''sexually active'', One-timers and Steadies were sig nificantly older when they first had penile-vaginal intercourse than t hose who had multiple partners. One-timers were more likely to use con doms than Steadies or Multiples, and only Multiples reported previous STDs. Conclusion: A typology that defines a range of adolescent hetero sexual experiences was developed, and it was possible to classify 99% of our sample. The traditional dichotomy between ''sexually active'' v s. ''not active'' hides important behavioral intentions and sexual pra ctices. These differences must be taken into account in the developmen t and implementation of HIV prevention programs that target adolescent s. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 1997.