TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2006//
TI  - Self-esteem, risky sexual behavior, and pregnancy in a New Zealand birth cohort
JO  - Archives of sexual behavior
A1  - Boden, Joseph M.
A1  - Horwood, L. J.
SP  - 549
EP  - 560
VL  - 35
IS  - 5
N2  - 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>
LA  - en
SN  - 0004-0002
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-006-9060-4
ID  - ref1
ER  -