Abstract
The impact of social context on female adolescents sexual behavior subsequent to first intercourse was investigated through use of data on females 15-19 years of age from Cycle III of the 1982 US National Survey of Family Growth. Logistic regression was selected to estimate models for the two dependent variables--experiencing premarital intercourse and coital frequency--for the 566 Black and 1286 White subjects. Community factors such as social disorganization socioeconomic status religiosity female labor force participation population composition and family planning service availability were found to be significant influences on premarital sexual behavior but more so for Black adolescents. The contextual determinants were most operable in terms of ever having premarital intercourse. Census tract variables that increased the likelihood of premarital coitus among Whites included increased percentages of separated or divorced women greater female labor force participation a higher ratio of unmarried males aged 15 years and older to same aged females and lower percentages of Black and foreign-born; at the county level of analysis a high crime rate and low church attendance were significant. Among non-Whites the premarital coitus risk increased with the tract-level variables of increased female employment lower percentage of unmarried adult women and higher numbers of adolescents not in school and with the county-level factors of a high sex ratio and lower levels of urbanization. Among whites increased coital frequency was increased by the percentage of adolescents in the community who are unemployed or school drop-outs low membership in conservative religious groups a high proportion of males to females and a higher percentage of adolescent family planning clinic attendance the sex ratio and the percentage of out-of-school adolescents. These contextual factors tended to influence sexual behavior directly even when individual-level factors were included in the model.
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