How Sources of Sexual Information Relate to Adolescents' Beliefs About Sex

The study's objective was to assess how sources of sexual information are associated with adolescents' behavioral, normative, and control beliefs about sex using the integrative model of behavior change.

Survey data from a quota sample of 459 youth showed the most frequently reported sources were friends, teachers, mothers, and media. Regression analyses indicated that learning about sex from parents, grandparents, and religious leaders was associated with beliefs likely to postpone sex; learning from friends, cousins, and media was associated with beliefs that increase the likelihood of having sexual intercourse.

"Different sexual information sources were associated with different underlying beliefs," the study authors concluded.

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