Vroeg seksueel debuut in Nederland: Een longitudinale studie naar de rol van individuele kenmerken, opvoeding en leeftijdgenoten

Abstract

Early sexual debut entails potential risks, such as unsafe and unwanted sexual experiences. This longitudinal study examined the joint and relative role of bio psychosocial factors in the timing of sexual debut. Dutch adolescents (n = 366) completed three questionnaires (interval: one year). For the ANCOVAs and logistic regression analyses (conducted separately for boys and girls) two groups were made: ‘debut <16’ and ‘debut 16’. In line with the biopsychosocial model, significant effects were found for both individual and social factors. When these factors were examined simultaneously, it appeared that, for both girls and boys, peers were the most important predictors of early sexual debut. The findings highlight focus points for prevention and intervention programs for adolescents and parents.