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

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To examine how sources of sexual information are associated with adolescents' behavioral, normative, and control beliefs about having sexual intercourse using the integrative model of behavior change. METHODS: Survey data from a quota sample of 459 youth. RESULTS: 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 delay sex; friends, cousins, and media were associated with beliefs that increase the likelihood of having sexual intercourse. CONCLUSIONS: Different sexual information sources were associated with different underlying beliefs.