The onset and cross-temporal patterning of sexual intercourse in middle adolescence: prospective relations with behavioral and emotional problems.

This study examined precursors and correlates of sexual intercourse patterns (e.g., earlier/later onset, persistence across time) among tenth and eleventh graders. Data regarding intercourse were collected for lifetime and for 6-month periods at 4 occasions of measurement over a 2-year span. Significant differences in behavioral (e.g., delinquency) and emotional (e.g., depression) problems were indicated via repeated-measures MANOVA analyses. Significant interactions among intercourse patterns, gender, and time on emotional and behavioral problems indicated synergistic relations. Planned comparisons indicated that the transition to the onset of sexual intercourse was associated with increases in delinquency and a slower rate of increase for school grades. Earlier onset and a more persistent pattern of sexual intercourse were associated with more childhood problem behaviors, earlier alcohol use, and higher levels of preadolescent antisocial behavior.