FEMALE ADOLESCENTS AND ONSET OF SEXUAL INTERCOURSE - A THEORY-BASED REVIEW OF RESEARCH FROM 1984 TO 1994

Purpose: To review a decade of research on the correlates of early ons et of sexual intercourse among female adolescents in the United States , using Social Cognitive Theory as a framework for classification. Met hods: Forty-nine studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1 984 and 1994 were reviewed and their findings coded by two independent coders. Results: Findings indicate that most of the studies emphasize d quantitative methodologies, using cross-sectional designs and univar iate statistical analyses. Many studies lacked a theoretical framework or conceptual model to guide their investigations. When evaluating em pirical findings, 61% of the studies found environmental correlates an d 47% found biological factors (e.g., age and pubertal development) to be significantly associated with early initiation of sexual intercour se. Conclusion: These findings raise important questions about the qua lity of research on adolescent sexuality, as well as its relationship to the development of risk-reduction programs which tend to focus main ly on intrapersonal factors (such as attitudes, knowledge, and expecta ncies). (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 1997.