Intention to postpone sexual initiation among Puerto Rican female adolescents.

Abstract

The purpose of this analysis is to examine the factors associated with intentions to initiate sexual intercourse among a group of female high school students in Puerto Rico. A large metropolitan high school was purposively selected for the study. The mean age of the girls who participated in the study (N = 133) was 16. 13% of the surveyed girls reported having had intercourse at some point in their lives. 45% indicated when answered that they were sure they would not initiate sex during the next year; 18% answered that it probably would not happen; and the others (28%) responded with an even 50-50 chance or more that it will probably happen. A multiple regression/correlation analysis showed that the mother's traditional sexual values along with the teen's own conventional behavior, traditional sexual values as well as a perception of conventional behavior by their peers were related to a lower expectation of sex initiation.