MINOR DEVIANT BEHAVIORS AND ADOLESCENT SEXUAL-ACTIVITY

Using three waves of longitudinal data from 73 adolescent girls and 79 adolescent boys and their parents, this research investigated the eff ects of early tobacco and alcohol use on adolescent sexual behaviors 2 years later. The results indicated that when controlling for physical maturation, all of the effects of early tobacco and alcohol use at Ye ar 1 on adolescents' sexual activity during Year 3 were mediated by th eir effects on adolescents' sexual attitudes and peer associations dur ing Year 2. The findings suggest that the relationship between age-rel ated deviant behaviors and sexual activity is largely due to the effec ts of early transitions to such behaviors on peer associations.