Human Development

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Psychology 103
Girls experiencing sexual intercourse early: Could it play a part in
reproductive health in middle adulthood? Article summary
Joan AnasthasiaOlympio
Community College of Baltimore County
Instructor: AzarEtesamypour-King

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Introduction:
The article, “Girls experiencing sexual intercourse early: Could it play a part in
reproductive health in middle adulthood?” is a study that explore a potential relationship between
experiencing early intercourse and reproductive health characteristics in middle adulthood for
women. The study was composed of 522 females up to the age of 14 who were interviewed in
regard of the rectification of their first sexual intercourse experience. 522 women interviewees
only 369 were interviewed again 29 years later at the age of 43. Series of psychological and
medical questions were the focused subject. The attempt of the study was to examine if having
an earlysex life could have consecutive complications for women reproductive health
characteristics. The article discussed different factors, including demographic backgrounds,
socioeconomic status, education levels of the female and her parents, household income, , and
any correlations with problematic behavioral problems. The article also indulges methodology,
data and results, a discussion section, and future outlook on the topic.
At the time of the article’s publication in December, 2006, theresearch was vagueon the
subject. But after the publication of the study a few additional studies and research have been
published. Based on the findings presented in the combined research, I support the conventional
comprehensivepoint of view that there is a relation between girls who experience sexual
intercourse early and their reproductive health in middle adulthood.

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Rationale:
Early sexual activities have been studied in young adults, but no attempts to associate to
reproductive health in middle adulthood have been made. Instead, prior research focused on
various problem behaviors such as delinquency, violation, alcohol and drug use. Only one study
focused on the consequences of the co-occurrence and separateness of early sexual intercourse
and problem behaviors over time. The result showed that female who had earlysexual
intercourse and problem behavior in adolescence, produced prolonged consequences related to
alcohol use and criminal activity in young adulthood. The majority of prior research on long-
term consequences of early intercourse focused on early pregnancy. And while numerous
studies have focused on the link between early pregnancy and early sexual activity, less is known
about the link between early sexual activity and long-term reproductive health issues. There are,
meanwhile, some studies that indicate that female engaged in early intercourse could be a risk
factor for poor reproductive health in adolescence. Studies have shown that girls with early
sexual intercourse experience are more exposed to sex-related reproductive ill-health, unwanted
pregnancies, STDs, and cervical atypias than girls with later onset [1]. While these are attempts
at trying to understand physical and psychological well-being during adolescence, there was little
empirical and theoretical research done on the long-term consequences of being an early sexual
active female.
Method:
The participants in the study were part of an Individual Development and Adaption (IDA)
project. IDA is a longitudinal program for three complete school-grade Swedish children aged
10, 13, and 15 from a population of 100,000. The 10 year old Girl age, have been pursued into

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adulthood and by the age of 14, 522 of them were studied. At the age of 43, 379 women
participated in an intensive psychological-medical investigation. More testing including
“Adjustment Screening Test,” gaining demographic variables, and gathering information were
done by asking them the question, “Have you ever been pregnant?” The “Adjustment
Screening Test” was used to identify conduct for an early sexual beginner and any issue
behavior. Personal interviews to collectbackground information and data were obtained
regarding socioeconomic status based on household income and education information based on
13 years old girls. Further materialsreceived included their parents’ education, age of leaving
home, number of children, education, family income, and individual income. Asking the
question, “Have you ever been pregnant?” was instrumental in gathering additional reproductive
health characteristics data. Questions regarding fertility, menstrual symptoms, contraception,
and health check-ups were also asked to try finding a relation.
Results:
The first component of the study explored if there were any importance differentiation between
early and late activeimplied on various demographic characteristics including reproductive health
and health related demeanor. Research showed that normally early starters left home earlier than
late starters. Early Sexual actives leave home approximately one year earlier compare to late
starters and had a shallow level of education. Additionally, early starters’ parents also had a
lower education level in comparison with parents of later starters. There was no difference in
household income. Nearly every woman by the age of 43 had been pregnant at some time and
approximately all were married or leaving with a partner. However, there were several
differences between the two groups of girls based on reproductive health markers. Fifty-one

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(73.9%) early starters terminated their pregnancies by a miscarriage or abortion, in comparison
with 104 (47.7%) later starters. Regarding fertility, 24 (32%) of the early starters had tried to get
pregnant for more than a year in comparison with 51 (21%) of later starters. Early starters
consistently reported more menstrual symptoms than later starters and fewer had used
contraception than later starters. No differences were found in require health check-ups.
Since household income during childhood did not differ between the groups, no further
studies were done. However, parent’s education at age 13 did differ and was examined further as
an early predictor to sexual intercourse. Girls who have a parent with a lower education were
represented more frequently than those who have a higher educated parent. It was also found
that being an early intercourse starter was a strong prognosticative of having menstrual
symptoms at age 43. Being an early starter, independent of problem behaviors, did have a
predictive association with being a teenage mother, pregnancies less than six months, abortion as
a teenager, and no use of contraception. It was however, not associated with medical fertility
treatment. Behavioral issues and early intercourse, together, was not associated to some
reproductive health characteristics. It was also conclude that low parental education consistently
did not predict reproductive health. Early intercourse, however, was a strong predictor of early
aged abortions than any of the other predictors.
Discussion:
Knowing that there was not enough research done on this topic during the time, enough
experimental evidence was added to the existing facts. The results strongly advised that those
who experienced early intercourse early are likely different than their counterparts on various
characteristics. Early sexual predators and their parents tend to be less intellectually educated and

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leave home earlier than earlier counterpart who experience sexual intercourse later. The results
also show that early intercourse plays a role in later reproductive health for women. Women
with a history of early sexual intercourse reported less contraception use as well as more
menstrual symptoms at age 43 than their counterparts without such a history. Strong correlations
were also found for early intercourse being a strong predictor of reproductive health markers,
both as a teenager and as an adult.
The authors reasonably inspected their work in different ways including offering explanations
and citing related research in an effort to suggest possibilities and likelihoods. For example, no
explanations are made for why early starters use less contraception in midlife. The authors then
site another source explaining how perhaps fertility management requires a certain amount of
ability to act rationally and plan for the future, as well a certain level of cognitive and emotional
maturity. The authors also approached some methodological limitations including using a
varied group sizes in the final analysis and also how studying linear relations between variables
will deny them gaining knowledge on possible interactions and patterns of reproductive health.
Critical Thinking:
The data of the study accustomed in many ways with what I have learned in Human
Growth and Development class, particularly in the early adolescence stage. This is the age when
young females begin puberty and develop sex characteristics. When it was time for the arrival of
puberty, hormonal changes will contributed to an increased sex drive. This is when libido levels
are increased and that 75% of females are sexually active prior to the age of 16 (in the U.S.) and
that 50% of abortions occur in females under the age of 18. As implied in the study, I also
learned in class that a substantial percentage of young females under the age of 18 are sexually

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active quite early, by the age of 15. Taking the Human Growth and Development class also
identified how characteristics of sexually active adolescents are similar to what the study
proposed. For example, learning that early and frequent teenage sexual activity is linked to
personal, family, peer, and educational characteristics was very intriguing and interesting to
know. These include early pubertal timing, parental divorce, single-parent and stepfamily
homes, large family size, little or no religious involvement, weak parental monitoring, disrupted
parent-child communication, sexually active friends and older siblings, poor school performance,
lower educational aspirations, and tendency to engage in norm-violating acts, including alcohol
and drug use and delinquency (3). As the study continued, we also learned how there is
aequivalence between early pregnancy and negative effects on educational achievement, martial
patterns, and economic circumstances.
This proof could clash with individual living positively if there were more education and
avoidance strategies in place. Sex education courses and counseling sessions are sometimes
introduced late in the adolescent life. Once sexual activity has begun they are teens are limited in
time and generally stick just to the basic facts, such as reproduction and anatomy because they
did not have any knowledge prior to the act. While sex education does not encourage sex, it does
improve awareness. Introducing cues sex education classes at an early life stage, it probably
would prevent the negative impacts of early starters. Nevertheless, given the life stage of the
subjects, it may be problematic and demanding to get them interested as do not analyze
themselves to be at risk. To have an impact, the sex education and counseling sessions must be
relevant and related to their lifestyles to gain their interest so they can understand the impact it
may have on their long-term reproductive health. The study’s data could easily be supplement to
any contraceptive and birth control education.

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This study focused on 14 year old Swedish females and while the Sweden population
takes a more liberal approach toward adolescent sexuality and associated behaviors (as long as it
is monogamous), exposure to sex, education about it, and effort to limit the sexual curiosity of
children and adolescents vary widely around the world. The study did not evaluate factors such
as religion or race. However, previous research has validated that the earlier female race
introduced to sexual activity are among African American compared with European American
girls (2). Based on the evidence presented in this study, and other supporting research on sexual
activity, I support that there is a clear correlation between girls who experience sexual
intercourse early and their reproductive health in middle adulthood.
References

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May 16, 2012 EDTR103:WC3 Spring 2012
1. Magnusson, C., Trost, K. (2006). Girls experiencing sexual intercourse early: Could it play
a part in reproductive health in middle adulthood? Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and
Gynecology.Vol. 27, Iss.4, p. 237-44 (8pp.)
2. Schofield, Hannah-Lise T. (2008). Predicting early sexual activity with behavior problems
exhibited at school entry and in early adolescence. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.
New York: Nov 2008. Vol. 36, Iss. 8, p. 1175-88 (14 pp.)
3. Ethnic Differences in Delays to Treatment for Substance Use Disorders: African Americans,
Black Caribbeans and Non-Hispanic Whites. Perron, Alexander-Eitzman, Watkins, Taylor,
Baser, Neighbors, & Jackson. (2009). Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, Volume 41 Issue 4, pp.
369-77.