Predicting first intercourse among urban early adolescent girls: The role of emotions

Abstract

Little is known about how girls perceive their ongoing or future sexual experiences, especially the emotions that they associate with these experiences. This study examined how early adolescent girls characterise first intercourse experiences in terms of positive and negative emotions over a one-year period. A US sample of 162 girls (12–14 years), primarily Latina and Black, completed two interviews one year apart that assessed sexual cognitions, affect, and behaviour. Girls anticipated primarily negative emotions associated with first intercourse, but recalled primarily positive emotions for first and recent intercourse experiences. In addition, girls’ emotion scores proved more useful than two types of cognitions (intentions and perceived readiness) and pre-intercourse sexual experience in predicting transitions to intercourse over the one-year period.

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the following grants while LFOS was at Columbia University: NIMH K01-MH01689 (Principal Investigator Lucia F. O'Sullivan); T32-MH19139 (Principal Investigator: Anke A. Ehrhardt); and P50-MH43520 (Center Principal Investigator Anke A. Ehrhardt).

The authors thank the girls for their participation in the study, and Cheryl Dudley, Giovanna Rodriquez, Anne Uba, and Megan McCrudden for their help with data collection.

Notes

¹All girls reported and demonstrated comfort using English in the interview.

²One additional girl reported intercourse experience at baseline, but not at the follow-up assessment, and thus was excluded from all analyses.