Twin-study findings conflict with sex ed dogma

Current sex education curricula recommend abstinence as a way of reducing sexual risk-taking, but a new study appearing inPsychological Science indicates that early sexual initiation has no effect on an individual’s risk-taking behavior.

University of South Florida psychologist and study author, Marina A. Bornovalova, said she originally set out to test the assumption that delaying first sex reduces sexual risk-taking – and with it unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

Bornovalova and her co-researchers looked at more than 1,000 pairs of identical and fraternal twins enrolled in the longitudinal Minnesota Twin Family Study. The twins were questioned on biological, social, and psychological factors at age 11. Then, at age 24, they were asked about the risks they were taking in their sex lives. The key factor in the study was that in some pairs, one twin had early sex and the other didn’t.

Numerous runs of the data led to the same conclusion, said Bornovalova; “You take two twins who share 100 percent of their genes. One has sex at 15 and one at 20. You compare them on risk-taking at 24 – and they don’t differ.”

She added that a correlation between early sexual initiation and later sexual risk-taking does exist; “But, as a causal factor for sexual risk-taking – multiple partners, drug and alcohol use during sexual encounters, or unprotected intercourse – it doesn’t really matter whether you delay sex or not.” The findings, Bornovalova says, should spark serious rethinking by sex educators.

Rather than early sexual initiation, the researchers think sexual risk-taking stems from a combination of genetic factors – such as the strong inherited tendency to be impulsive or anti-social – and environmental ones, such as poverty or troubled family life.

Bornovalova stresses she is not advocating sex at a very early age. “But if our goal is to reduce sexual risk-taking, we need to be focusing on something else,” she suggests. “More study is needed to zero in on what that something else is. But for now, one thing should be clear to the people writing sex ed curricula: whatever is causing sexual risk-taking, it is not early sexual initiation.”

Related:
Study links morning after pill to jump in STDs
Hard evidence on cannabis use and erectile dysfunction
Size does matter, say condom boffins

Source: Psychological Science

, ,

Comments are closed.

Vtg 1946 When Children Ask About Sex Child Study Association Sex Ed Ephemera picture

Vtg 1946 When Children Ask About Sex Child Study Association Sex Ed Ephemera

$24.99



Sex Ed 120% (Yen Press English Manga) by Kikiki Tataki picture

Sex Ed 120% (Yen Press English Manga) by Kikiki Tataki

$16.85



Sex ED 120% ( Vol. 1-3 ) 18+ English Manga Graphic Novel VERY GOOD picture

Sex ED 120% ( Vol. 1-3 ) 18+ English Manga Graphic Novel VERY GOOD

$16.77



Student School Notebook ~1961 Sex Ed Health Anatomy Physiology Biology VTG picture

Student School Notebook ~1961 Sex Ed Health Anatomy Physiology Biology VTG

$51.99



Sex ED 120% ( Vol. 1-3 ) 18+ English Manga Graphic Novel Brand New picture

Sex ED 120% ( Vol. 1-3 ) 18+ English Manga Graphic Novel Brand New

$35.10



FACTS O' LIFE SEX ED FUNNIES #1 UNDERGROUND COMIX 1972 R. Crumb LORA FOUNTAIN VF picture

FACTS O' LIFE SEX ED FUNNIES #1 UNDERGROUND COMIX 1972 R. Crumb LORA FOUNTAIN VF

$8.99



Sex Ed 120% Vol. 1-2  (Yen Press English Manga) by Kikiki Tamaki picture

Sex Ed 120% Vol. 1-2 (Yen Press English Manga) by Kikiki Tamaki

$30.00



Vtg 1990s AD, The Better Sex Video Series, Sex Ed Video, Sex Education picture

Vtg 1990s AD, The Better Sex Video Series, Sex Ed Video, Sex Education

$10.99



Al Goldstein 1971 1st Ed The Screw Reader Underground Sex Newspaper HC w/DJ picture

Al Goldstein 1971 1st Ed The Screw Reader Underground Sex Newspaper HC w/DJ

$200.00



Sex Ed 120% (Yen Press English Manga) by Kikiki Tataki VF+ picture

Sex Ed 120% (Yen Press English Manga) by Kikiki Tataki VF+

$10.04



Powered by WordPress. Designed by WooThemes