CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Grant Title: Exploring Pathways to Adult Sexual Adjustment

Funding Source and Project Period: HIV Center Pilot Studies Program; 2006-2007

Key HIV Center Personnel:
Theo Sandfort, Ph.D.

Project Overview
(from abstract of research plan)   

This pilot project aims to collect pilot data for the development of an R01 to study how timing and characteristics of onset of adolescent sexual activity – including voluntary abstinence – shape sexual health in early adulthood.  Despite a good deal of concern of both policy and scientific communities about immediate consequences of adolescent sexual behavior for adolescent health, remarkably little is known about the longer-term relationship between adolescent sexual behavior and adult sexual health.  In this project we will explore whether the relationships between adolescent behaviors and adult sexual health are robust enough to bear further exploration and collect information about the distribution of main variables in order to be able to power the main study sufficiently.  This will be done via secondary analysis of data from two pertinent existing data sets.  Furthermore, we will expand our theoretical framework and assemble relevant assessment scales to be used in the main study by doing an extensive literature review and explore methodological issues related to doing retrospective research using the Internet.  Drawing on the results from this pilot project, the R01 will consist of a retrospective quantitative Internet study in a random sample of the general population (ages 25 to 35 years) and qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of young adults.  Pilot project and intended RO1 will have major public health implications by bringing more conclusive evidence about the consequences of abstinence practices and onset of sexual activity and thus informing future sexual health interventions aimed at adolescents. 

 Update: 5/18/08