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Abstract
Neighborhood and family effects on early adolescent initiation of sexual activity: Conditional effects by gender
C Browning1, T Leventhal2, J Brooks-Gunn3
1The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States; 2Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States; 3Columbia University Teachers College, New York, NY, United States
Background: We integrate research on parental supervision, child gender, and neighborhood to develop a contextual model of early adolescent timing of first intercourse. We hypothesize that the effects of family and neighborhood supervision on sexual onset will exhibit differing patterns by gender. Family supervision is likely to exert stronger effects on girls while neighborhood supervision will tend to target the more visible behavior of boys.
Methods: We employ multilevel discrete-time logit models of the timing of first intercourse to simultaneously estimate the effects of family and neighborhood supervision (and their interaction) by gender. Family supervision is captured by the extent of parental monitoring of children's whereabouts. Neighborhood supervision capacity is captured by a measure of collective efficacy, or the level cohesion within the neighborhood and the willingness of residents to supervise unrelated local youth. We use data from two waves of the 1995-97 Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods - a multilevel, longitudinal study of adolescent risk.
Results: Findings indicate the family supervision significantly delays the timing of first intercourse for girls, but not for boys, controlling for a host of family and individual characteristics. Neighborhood collective efficacy delays sexual onset for boys. For girls, the effect of collective efficacy is conditional, emerging only for those who experience lower levels of parental supervision.
Conclusions: The willingness of neighborhood residents to participate in the collective supervision of neighborhood youth reduces the prevalence of early adolescent timing of sexual initiation - a behavior related to high-risk sexual activity during later adolescence. For girls, family practices and neighborhood environments interact in their effects on higher-risk sexual behavior. Future research should consider possible gender-specific effects of family and neighborhood on risk behavior. This research was supported by NICHD R01 HD42405-01: "Life Course and Contextual Determinants of HIV Risk."
The XV International AIDS Conference
Abstract no.
Suggested Citation
" C Browning , , et al.
Neighborhood and family effects on early adolescent initiation of sexual activity: Conditional effects by gender.
LB Oral abstract session:
The XV International AIDS Conference:
Abstract no.
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