Relationship Characteristics and the Relationship Context of Nonmarital First Births Among Young Adult Women.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to examine whether and how characteristics of the relationship dyad are linked to nonmarital childbearing among young adult women, additionally distinguishing between cohabiting and nonunion births. METHODS: We used the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997 Cohort and discrete-time event history methods to examine these objectives. RESULTS: Our analyses found that similarities and differences between women and their most recent sexual partner in educational attainment, disengagement from work or school, race/ethnicity, and age were linked to the risk and context of nonmarital childbearing. For example, partner disengagement (from school and work) was associated with increased odds of a nonmarital birth regardless of whether the woman herself was disengaged. Additionally, having a partner of a different race/ethnicity was associated with nonmarital childbearing for whites, but not for blacks and Hispanics. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that relationship characteristics are an important dimension of the lives of young adults that influence their odds of having a birth outside of marriage.

Family environments and the relationship context of first adolescent sex: Correlates of first sex in a casual versus steady relationship.

Limited research has examined how family environments are associated with the relationship context of first sex, an important indicator of reproductive health risk. We use data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to assess the association between the family environment - parent-parent relationships, parent-adolescent relationships, and family structure - and relationship context of first heterosexual sexual intercourse, distinguishing between the transition to first sex in serious and casual relationships. Twenty-five percent of females and 43% of males who had sex by age 18 did so in a casual relationship. All dimensions of the family environment were linked to the relationship context of first sex. Notably, higher parental monitoring was associated with a reduced risk of transitioning to first sex in a casual relationship versus no sex, and greater family routines were associated with a reduced risk of transitioning to sex in a steady relationship versus having no sex, for males and females. A strong maternal-adolescent relationship was associated with a reduced risk of first sex in a casual relationship but only for males. Additionally, in two-parent families, a strong father-adolescent relationship was associated with reduced risk of transitioning to casual sex, but only for females. Pregnancy and STI prevention programs should work with parents to foster positive parent-adolescent relationships, to become aware of their adolescents' activities and to recognize that parents are important models for adolescent relationship behaviors.

Union Transitions Following the Birth of a Child to Cohabiting Parents.

Despite a growing interest in the family trajectories of unmarried women, there has been limited research on union transitions among cohabiting parents. Using data from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, we examined how family complexity (including relationship and fertility histories), as well as characteristics of the union and birth, were associated with transitions to marriage or to separation among 1,105 women who had a birth in a cohabiting relationship. Cohabiting parents had complex relationship and fertility histories, which were tied to union transitions. Having a previous nonmarital birth was associated with a lower relative risk of marriage and a greater risk of separation. In contrast, a prior marriage or marital birth was linked to union stability (getting married or remaining cohabiting). Characteristics of the union and birth were also important. Important racial/ethnic differences emerged in the analyses. Black parents had the most complex family histories and the lowest relative risk of transitioning to marriage. Stable cohabitations were more common among Hispanic mothers, and measures of family complexity were particularly important to their relative risk of marriage. White mothers who began cohabiting after conception were the most likely to marry, suggesting that ''shot-gun cohabitations'' serve as a stepping-stone to marriage.

Trends in sexual experience, contraceptive use, and teenage childbearing: 1992-2002.

PURPOSE: To examine how cohort trends in family, individual, and relationship characteristics are linked to trends in adolescent reproductive health outcomes to provide a better understanding of factors behind recent declines in teenage birth rates. METHODS: We examine a sample of three cohorts of females and males aged 15-19 in 1992, 1997, and 2002, based on retrospective information from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth. We identify how family, individual, and relationship characteristics are associated with the transition to sexual intercourse, contraceptive use at first sex, and the transition to a teen birth. RESULTS: Cohort trends and multivariate analyses indicate changes in family and relationship characteristics among American teens have been associated with positive trends in reproductive health since the early 1990s. Factors associated with improvement in adolescent reproductive health include positive changes in family environments (including increases in parental education and a reduced likelihood of being born to a teen mother) and positive trends in sexual relationships (including an increasing age at first sex and reductions in older partners). These positive trends may be offset, in part, by negative changes in family environments (including an increased likelihood of being born to unmarried parents) and the changing racial/ethnic composition of the teen population. CONCLUSIONS: Recent increases in the U.S. teen birth rate highlight the continued importance of improving reproductive health outcomes. Our research suggests that it is important for programs to take into consideration how family, individual, and relationship environments influence decision-making about sex, contraception, and childbearing.

Immigration measures and reproductive health among Hispanic youth: findings from the national longitudinal survey of youth, 1997-2003.

PURPOSE: To explore relationships between immigration measures and risk of reproductive and sexual events among U.S. Hispanic adolescents. METHODS: We examined generation status, language in the home and country of origin in relation to sexual activity, contraception, and childbearing among 1614 Hispanic adolescents, using nationally representative 1997-2003 longitudinal data. Multivariable analyses controlled for potentially confounding variables. Tests for effect modification by gender and Mexican origin were conducted. RESULTS: Fewer first generation adolescents transitioned to sexual intercourse before age 18 (odds ratio [OR]=.80, 95% confidence interval [CI]=.66-.98) and fewer first and second generation sexually active teens used contraceptives consistently at age 17 (OR=.32, 95% CI=.17-.60 and OR=.50, 95% CI=.31-.80, respectively) than third-generation teens. Language was similarly associated with the transition to sexual intercourse and contraceptive practices. Versus teens of Mexican origin, teens of Puerto Rican origin and origins other than Cuba and Central/South America had greater odds of becoming sexually active; youth of all origins except Central/South America had fewer multiple live births (OR=.14-.31). Gender modified the effects of generation on consistent use of contraceptives and condoms at age 17. Gender also modified the effect of country of origin on transitioning to sexual intercourse before age 18 years. CONCLUSIONS: Results expand on previous observations that generation, language, and country of origin are predictors of reproductive and sexual risks for Hispanic adolescents. These immigration measures may therefore be useful in targeting community and clinical preventive services.

Condom use and consistency among male adolescents in the United States.

PURPOSE: To incorporate a behavioral model of health services utilization to examine whether male adolescents' family, individual, sex education, and partner factors are associated with several measures of condom use and consistency in heterosexual relationships. METHODS: We examine a sample of sexually experienced male adolescents 15-19 years of age in the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) to identify factors associated with condom use at first sex and last sex, condom consistency with their most recent sexual partner, and condom consistency in the past 4 weeks. RESULTS: Male adolescents who were Hispanic and those who did not receive formal sex education had lower odds of condom use and/or consistency, whereas African-American male adolescents and those with more positive attitudes about condoms had greater odds. Males who were older at most recent sex, who had an older sexual partner or a casual first sexual partner, who had a partner who used a method of contraception, who were in longer relationships, or who engaged in more frequent sex had reduced odds of contraceptive use. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight multiple domains of influence on condom use behaviors among male adolescents. Programs that provide targeted services, address condom use attitudes, and help teens to negotiate condom use decision making with sexual partners may help to reduce high rates of sexually transmitted infections among male adolescents in the United States.

Pathways from family religiosity to adolescent sexual activity and contraceptive use.

CONTEXT: Few studies with nationally representative longitudinal data have examined whether and how family religiosity is associated with adolescent sexual and contraceptive behavior. METHODS: Data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were used to examine associations between a multidimensional measure of family religiosity assessed during early adolescence and reproductive health outcomes (sexual activity, number of partners and consistent contraceptive use) at age 17. Pathways through which family religiosity is associated with these outcomes were identified using structural equation models. RESULTS: Family religiosity was negatively associated with adolescent sexual activity, both directly (beta, -0.14) and indirectly (-0.02). The indirect association was mediated by family cohesion (as reflected in parental monitoring among the entire sample and among males, and in parent-teenager relationship quality and family routine activities among females) and negative peer behaviors. Greater family religiosity was indirectly associated with having fewer sexual partners (-0.03) and with using contraceptives consistently (0.02); these relationships were mediated through later age at first sex, more positive peer environments and higher levels of parental monitoring and awareness. However, among sexually active males (but not females), family religiosity was directly and negatively associated with contraceptive consistency (-0.11). CONCLUSION: Cohesive family environments and positive peer networks contribute to reduced levels of risky sexual behavior among adolescents from religious families. Parents who monitor their children's activities and peer environments, engage their families in regular activities and foster strong parent-child relationships can help reduce risky sexual behavior, regardless of family religiosity. Parental involvement in prevention programs may help reduce rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs.

Factors Associated With Multiple-Partner Fertility Among Fathers.

This article uses a sample of 1,731 fathers aged 16 - 45 from the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth to identify factors associated with multiple-partner fertility. Almost one third of fathers who reported multiple-partner fertility did so across a series of nonmarital relationships, and nonmarital-only multiple-partner fertility has been increasing across recent cohorts of men. Being older, having a first sexual experience or a first child at a young age, and fathering a child outside of marriage or cohabitation are associated with greater odds of multiple-partner fertility, whereas having additional children with the first birth mother is associated with reduced odds. Black, Hispanic, and young fathers have especially high odds of experiencing multiple-partner fertility across a series of nonmarital relationships.

Young teenagers and older sexual partners: correlates and consequences for males and females.

CONTEXT: Limited nationally representative information exists on the characteristics of teenagers who had first sex at an early age with an older partner. METHODS: Gender-specific analyses were conducted of 2002 National Survey of Family Growth data from 1,838 females and 1,426 males aged 18-24. Multivariate analyses examined the associations between family and individual characteristics and having a first sexual experience before age 16 with an older partner, and between age and partners' age difference at first sex and contraceptive use and having or fathering a child as a teenager. RESULTS: Sex at a young age with an older partner was associated with not living with a biological parent at age 14 and Hispanic ethnicity for females and males, early menarche and religious attendance for females, and black race for males. Among females and males, first sex by age 16 was negatively associated with contraceptive use at first sex (odds ratios, 0.7 for each) and positively associated with a teenage birth (1.6 and 2.9, respectively); having an older first partner was associated with poor reproductive health outcomes among females. Among females, the combination of young age and an older partner at first sex was positively associated with having a teenage birth. Among males, sex before age 16 with an older partner was associated with more than twice the odds of fathering a child as a teenager compared with the odds among those who had first sex at age 16-17. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions should target specific teenage populations, including males, to dissuade them from having sex at a young age and with older partners. Also, prevention efforts should target potential older teenage partners and adult partners of young teenagers.

The role of parent religiosity in teens' transitions to sex and contraception.

PURPOSE: To examine whether multiple dimensions of parent and family religiosity--including parental religious attendance, denomination, beliefs, and family religious activities--are associated with the timing of sexual initiation or contraceptive use at first sex. METHODS: We analyze a sample of sexually inexperienced adolescents aged 12-14 years in the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) to test the association between multiple dimensions of parent and family religiosity and the transition to first sexual experience and contraceptive use at first sex during the teen years. We assess the association between parent and family religiosity and the timing of adolescent sexual experience using multivariate event history models, and examine contraceptive use outcomes using logistic regressions. All analyses are conducted separately by gender and race/ethnicity. RESULTS: More frequent parental religious attendance is associated with a delayed timing of first sex among all sub-populations except among black adolescents. Engaging in family religious activities on a daily basis is associated with delayed sexual initiation among male, female, and white teens. Results for contraceptive use differ, however. Only strong parental religious beliefs and more frequent participation in family religious activities are associated with contraceptive use at first sex, in a negative direction, among males. CONCLUSION: More frequent parental religious attendance and family religious activities are related to later timing of sexual initiation, highlighting an important dimension of family environments that can help improve reproductive health outcomes for children. However, stronger family religiosity does not translate into improved contraceptive use.