@article{ref1,
title="Self-esteem, risky sexual behavior, and pregnancy in a New Zealand birth cohort",
journal="Archives of sexual behavior",
year="2006",
author="Boden, Joseph M. and Horwood, L. J.",
volume="35",
number="5",
pages="549-560",
abstract="This study examined the relationship between self-esteem in adolescence and later risky sexual behavior and pregnancy in late adolescence and early adulthood. The investigation analyzed data from a birth cohort of over 1,000 New Zealand young adults studied to the age of 25. Lower levels of self-esteem at age 15 were associated with greater risks of engaging in unprotected sex (sexual intercourse with either an opposite- or same-sex partner without using a condom), a greater number of sexual partners, and a greater risk of pregnancy at ages 15-25. Adjustment for potentially confounding factors, including family socioeconomic background, family functioning, child abuse, and individual characteristics and behavior, reduced the strength of these associations to statistically non-significant levels. It was concluded that the effects of self-esteem during adolescence on later risky sexual behavior and pregnancy were weak and largely explained by the psychosocial context within which self-esteem develops.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0004-0002",
doi="10.1007/s10508-006-9060-4",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-006-9060-4"
}