Young adolescent boys' and girls' attitudes toward uncommitted sexual behaviors and the perception of interest in sexual exploration in opposite-gender relations

Abstract

The aim of this study is to measure young adolescent boys' and girls' attitudes toward uncommitted sexual behaviors and gain insight into their perception of peers' sexual exploration interest in committed versus non-committed opposite-gender relations. We constructed a new 5-item measurement of young adolescents' attitudes toward uncommitted sexual behavior (sociosexuality) and report on the reliability and construct validity of the scale. Analyses were performed on a sample of 425 secondary school students (187 boys, 238 girls, Mean age = 14.8, Age range 13–16). Results suggest that the new sociosexual attitudes scale is unidimensional and internally consistent across these ages for both genders. Relative to girls and younger participants, boys and older participants reported higher acceptance of uncommitted sexual behaviors (ranging from French kissing to intercourse). Further, participants' scores on the sociosexual attitude scale were positively related to frequency of pornography use, and to how they perceived sexual interest in scenarios of a boy and a girl in an intimate situation. Those scoring higher on sociosexuality were more likely to believe that their peers would be more sexually exploring and be less reluctant. The results attest to the construct validity of the scale, and its applicability to studies of young adolescents' understanding of sexual exploration behavior in non-committed sexual relations.