NCJ Number
227691
Journal
Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Dated: April-June 2009 Pages: 129-145
Date Published
June 2009
Length
17 pages
Annotation
This study examined the relationship between the age of first drink and the age of sexual initiation in a racially and ethnically diverse sample of urban youth.
Abstract
Consistent with prior research, it was found that the age at first drink influenced age at sexual initiation for all adolescents in the sample. It was also found that the relationship between age at first drink and age at sexual initiation was not uniform for all subgroups of adolescents; the relationship was stronger for males than for females, for White males than for African-American males, and for White females than for African-American females. No differences were observed in the strength of the relationship for Hispanic males or females compared to White males or females. Lastly, it was found that White, African-American, and Hispanic respondents in the sample were not equally likely to report having engaged in risky sexual behaviors after drinking. The results support the contention that adolescents are a disparate group and that, although age at first drink may influence age at sexual initiation regardless of race and ethnicity, a "one size fits all" approach to underage drinking and sexual risk reduction programming might be inefficient. The goals of this study was to examine the relationship between age at first drink and age at first sex among a sample of adolescents. Data were gathered from a sample of 1,110 African-American, Hispanic, and White urban adolescents recruited from a pediatric emergency department of a hospital in Boston, MA. Tables and references