Girls Taunted by Teachers More Likely to Have Early Sex: Study

In a new study, Canadian researchers found that elementary students, particularly girls, who are verbally abused by teachers in the classroom are at an increased risk of early sexual intercourse. The study also draws a link between peer rejection and girls becoming sexually active at an earlier age.

Mara Brendgen, a psychology professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal, and colleagues followed 312 children who lived in a rural Quebec town from kindergarten to age 23. Elementary school kids who were shouted at, harshly criticized or embarrassed by teachers had a higher risk of early sexual intercourse. These students frequently disengaged from normal expectations and many turned to generalized delinquency, said Brendgen. "[Often] it's the same children who are delinquent, who take drugs, who also engage in risky sexual behavior," she said.

"The girls seem to suffer more from these negative social experiences," said Brendgen. "Girls, generally, are a bit more oriented towards social relationships and suffer more if these social relationships go sour," she explained.

The study results also suggest that students who were criticized or laughed at by their peers developed lower self-esteem. Some girls used sex as a way to lift their battered self-image, Brendgen said.

Sexually active girls younger than 14 are more likely to have multiple partners, which increases their chances of contracting STDs or becoming pregnant, Brengden noted.

The most disruptive students were also the most frequently targeted, the researchers found. "It's not random. These children have certain behavioral characteristics that may provoke either their peers or the teachers into negative behavior," said Brendgen.

According to the researchers, 10-15 percent of children are regularly abused by teachers, while the same number are rejected by peers.

The study, "Peer and Teacher Effects on the Early Onset of Sexual Intercourse," was published in the American Journal of Public Health (2007;doi:10.2105/AJPH.2006.101287).

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