TY - JOUR
T1 - Sexual Experimentation in Heterosexual, Bisexual, Lesbian/Gay, and Questioning Adolescents From Ages 11 to 15
AU - Li, Gu
AU - Davis, J.T.M.
PY - 2020/6/1
Y1 - 2020/6/1
N2 - To examine adolescent sexuality development, we analyzed data from a British cohort study (N = 5,070), which assessed the same 12–14 sexual activities at ages 11, 12, 13, and 15, and sexual orientation identity at age 15. The sexual activities ranged from low (e.g., cuddling), moderate (e.g., kissing), to high (e.g., sexual intercourse) intensity. We found that most adolescents having sexual activities of low-to-moderate intensity with same-sex individuals also had them with other-sex individuals, and adolescents having other-sex contacts of low intensity often reported them nonexclusively. Furthermore, other-sex and same-sex sexual activities did not reliably distinguish between sexual orientation identities. Sex differences in these phenomena were absent or small. These findings suggest that many adolescents have low-intensity nonexclusive sexual behaviors.
AB - To examine adolescent sexuality development, we analyzed data from a British cohort study (N = 5,070), which assessed the same 12–14 sexual activities at ages 11, 12, 13, and 15, and sexual orientation identity at age 15. The sexual activities ranged from low (e.g., cuddling), moderate (e.g., kissing), to high (e.g., sexual intercourse) intensity. We found that most adolescents having sexual activities of low-to-moderate intensity with same-sex individuals also had them with other-sex individuals, and adolescents having other-sex contacts of low intensity often reported them nonexclusively. Furthermore, other-sex and same-sex sexual activities did not reliably distinguish between sexual orientation identities. Sex differences in these phenomena were absent or small. These findings suggest that many adolescents have low-intensity nonexclusive sexual behaviors.
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U2 - 10.1111/jora.12535
DO - 10.1111/jora.12535
M3 - Article
SN - 1050-8392
VL - 30
SP - 423
EP - 439
JO - Journal of Research on Adolescence
JF - Journal of Research on Adolescence
IS - 2
ER -