Patterns of Adolescent Friendship and Effects on Sexual Behavior

Abstract

The study investigates homogeneity bias and its sources between adolescent same sex friends by whether or not adolescents have had sexual intercourse using 2 rounds of panel data from a junior high school system in urban Florida. Data were analysed by race sex subgroups. White females and white males tend to name same sex friends whose sexual intercourse behavior is like their own. Sexual intercourse is not a significant factor in accounting for adolescent friendship structure among black males and black females. Models are specified for influence deselection and acquisition processes--the 3 possible sources of homogeneity bias--to see which are important in accounting for friendship similarity with regard to sexual intercourse. The sexual behavior of white females is influenced by their same sex friends sexual behavior. There is no evidence that adolescents deselect friends on the basis of dissimilarity in sexual behavior. Both white males and white females acquire friends whose sexual behavior is like their own. Differences in adolescent friend similarity in sexual behavior may be due to differences in the normative salience of sexual behavior and race sex differences in the nature of friendship.