NCJ Number
206882
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 33 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2004 Pages: 319-329
Date Published
August 2004
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Using both individual-level and census-level data, this study examined the association between the number of sexual partners reported by male and female adolescents and the quality of the relationship with their mothers as well as the proportion of single-parent families in their neighborhoods.
Abstract
Regardless of the mechanisms by which neighborhood contexts and mother-adolescent relationships exert their influences, previous research has found that both predict sexual behavior. The current study examined the combined effects of neighborhood contexts (proportion of single-parent families) and quality of mother-adolescent relationships on adolescents' number of sexual partners. The data used were drawn from the first wave of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). This project consisted of multiple datasets organized around a school sample that represented a stratified random sample of all high schools in the United States. The dataset for the current study consisted of 12,923 cases with complete In-Home Adolescent, Parent, and Contextual datasets. For both males and females, proportions of single-parent families within respondents' census tract or block group ranged between 0.00 and 0.80. On the tract level, this measure was associated with other measures of neighborhood context. A four-item scale was used to assess quality of mother-adolescent relationship. Items measured the closeness, warmth, and level of communication. In order to measure the number of sexual partners, respondents were asked if they had even had sex with anyone, and if so, how many partners total. The regression analyses of the data were run by using both Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Repeated Measures procedures. The OLS analysis found that neighborhood proportion of single-parent families moderated the influence of the quality of the mother relationship on the number of sexual partners for both sexes; however, in the Repeated Measures format, this was true only for males. The quality of the mother relationship was more influential for females in neighborhoods with fewer single-parent families. In contrast, the quality of the mother relationship was more influential for males in neighborhoods with more single-parent families. 5 tables and 37 references