First Sexual Intercourse and Risk Behaviours: A Multi-Process Analysis

Fausta Ongaro , Università di Padova
Valentina Tocchioni, Università di Firenze

Adolescence and youth are periods of great changes in an individual’s life, during which experiencing first events of the transition to adulthood and, sometime, violating social norms. Early timing of first sexual intercourse may affect some negative outcomes, which could be assimilated to other adolescent’s risk behaviours. Literature has already analysed the effect of problem behaviours on timing of sexual intercourse, showing a positive association between them, whereas less common are the analyses that look at the inverse relationship. This study focuses on the relation between initiation of intercourse and initiation of four risk behaviours (marijuana use, other drug use, risky driving, problem drinking). Using multi-process event history analysis on data on Italian university students collected in 2000-2001 and in 2017, we intend to verify to what extent the initiation into risk behaviours anticipates first intercourse, and if and how initiation into sexuality influences the initiation of other risk behaviours.

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 Presented in Session 107. Flash Session Fertility, Family and the Life Course