Recent research finds that the way in which the first sexual experience occurred during adolescence and romantic ties in adulthood is related. Welcome to our blog and join our chatroulette alternative.
In her study, scientific psychologist Paige Harden investigated how the timing of sexual initiation in adolescence influences subsequent romantic outcomes, such as whether people marry or live with their partners, how many romantic couples they have, and whether they are satisfied with their relationship or not in adulthood. To answer these questions, Harden and his colleagues at the University of Texas at Austin used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health conducted among siblings of the same sex, followed from adolescence (around 16) to young adulthood (About 29). Harden's findings were presented in a research article published in the journal Psychological Science of the Association for Psychological Science. It seems that, to begin with, those who had the first sexual experience at later ages generally achieved a higher educational level and higher family income in adulthood compared to those who had them at a younger age.
People who had a first sexual experience later were also less likely to be married and had fewer romantic couples in adulthood.
Among subjects who were married or living in pairs, later sexual initiation was also associated with lower levels of dissatisfaction with their partner during adulthood. The researchers found that these associations on late sexual experience were not modified when genetic and environmental factors were taken into account. Nor could they be explained by differences in subjects 'educational level, income or religiosity, or differences in adolescents' participation in dating, or their bodily attractiveness. Experts believe that the results affirm that the timing of the first experience with sex predicts the quality and stability of romantic relationships in young adulthood. The researchers also say that the data suggest that early initiation is not a "risk factor" as much as late initiation is a "protective" factor in shaping the outcomes of future partner relationships. If you are looking for communication without borders – you can find it with our anonymous text chat.
According to Harden, there are several possible mechanisms that could explain this relationship.
One would be that people who have the first sexual encounter later also have certain specific personality traits (eg, a safe attachment style) that have effects on sexual retardation and quality of the relationship. Another aspect might be that they were more selective in their choice of sentimental and sexual partners, hence this delay in entering into intimate relationships, unless they think they are going to be really satisfying.