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Younger teen couples who do not have sex are more likely to report higher levels of satisfaction in their relationships, according to a new study.
Teen couples between 14 and 17 who stopped short of intercourse also reported higher levels of commitment in their relationships.
But for couples 17 to 21, those who are having intercourse reported higher levels of commitment.
There does not appear to be any connection between sex and the levels of reported couple satisfaction in the latter group, said lead author Deborah Welsh of the University of Tennessee.
Welsh, who studied 106 pairings for her report, "Kissing Is Good: A Developmental Investigation of Sexuality in Adolescent Romantic Couples," speculated that many younger teens are having sex when they really don't want to.
"In a lot of cases, they're afraid to express their true desires because they're afraid their partner will break up with them," she said.
Welsh said older teen partners and couples in their early 20s are generally more assertive with each other.
Doing it for 'status, power'
Funded by the federal government, the study does not conclude that sexual behavior unquestionably causes less emotional satisfaction, she said. "But the data suggests that sexual intercourse is associated with poorer relationships in these younger adolescents," she said.
Welsh said previous research has indicated that younger teens may have sex for "status," that it "may represent power." Some younger teens use sex to treat depression. In older teen couples, sex may more likely be an expression of intimacy, she said.
Of the couples studied, about 45 percent said they had intercourse in the previous four weeks.
About 60 percent had engaged in oral sex, 90 percent had "intimate touching" and 98 percent had kissed.
One finding in the study, published in the December edition of the Journal of the National Sexuality Resource Center at San Francisco State University, showed that, not surprisingly, the more satisfied couples were, the more they kissed.
Self-esteem plays a big role
Satisfaction and commitment levels were measured by ranking statements such as "My relationship has met my best expectations" and "I will always be loyal to my partner."
Holly Harris is a Wheaton-based teen counselor who last month was a featured speaker at a parent conference on "the secret lives of teens" held at Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn. Anecdotally, she has found that "generally, kids who delay sexual activity have a better sense of self-esteem." Harris said the teens she counsels lament there are "no ground rules" to being part of a couple.
While the study may be used to bolster abstinence-only sex education, neither Harris nor Welsh supports the approach.
Harris says it doesn't prepare kids for adulthood. Welsh and her co-authors conclude that abstinence-only education "may not be appropriate for later adolescents and emerging adults in committed romantic relationships."
http://suntimes.com/cgi-bin/print.cg...ws-kiss09.html
Teen couples between 14 and 17 who stopped short of intercourse also reported higher levels of commitment in their relationships.
But for couples 17 to 21, those who are having intercourse reported higher levels of commitment.
There does not appear to be any connection between sex and the levels of reported couple satisfaction in the latter group, said lead author Deborah Welsh of the University of Tennessee.
Welsh, who studied 106 pairings for her report, "Kissing Is Good: A Developmental Investigation of Sexuality in Adolescent Romantic Couples," speculated that many younger teens are having sex when they really don't want to.
"In a lot of cases, they're afraid to express their true desires because they're afraid their partner will break up with them," she said.
Welsh said older teen partners and couples in their early 20s are generally more assertive with each other.
Doing it for 'status, power'
Funded by the federal government, the study does not conclude that sexual behavior unquestionably causes less emotional satisfaction, she said. "But the data suggests that sexual intercourse is associated with poorer relationships in these younger adolescents," she said.
Welsh said previous research has indicated that younger teens may have sex for "status," that it "may represent power." Some younger teens use sex to treat depression. In older teen couples, sex may more likely be an expression of intimacy, she said.
Of the couples studied, about 45 percent said they had intercourse in the previous four weeks.
About 60 percent had engaged in oral sex, 90 percent had "intimate touching" and 98 percent had kissed.
One finding in the study, published in the December edition of the Journal of the National Sexuality Resource Center at San Francisco State University, showed that, not surprisingly, the more satisfied couples were, the more they kissed.
Self-esteem plays a big role
Satisfaction and commitment levels were measured by ranking statements such as "My relationship has met my best expectations" and "I will always be loyal to my partner."
Holly Harris is a Wheaton-based teen counselor who last month was a featured speaker at a parent conference on "the secret lives of teens" held at Glenbard West High School in Glen Ellyn. Anecdotally, she has found that "generally, kids who delay sexual activity have a better sense of self-esteem." Harris said the teens she counsels lament there are "no ground rules" to being part of a couple.
While the study may be used to bolster abstinence-only sex education, neither Harris nor Welsh supports the approach.
Harris says it doesn't prepare kids for adulthood. Welsh and her co-authors conclude that abstinence-only education "may not be appropriate for later adolescents and emerging adults in committed romantic relationships."
http://suntimes.com/cgi-bin/print.cg...ws-kiss09.html