TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2013//
TI  - Structuring the Future: Anticipated Life Events, Peer Networks, and Adolescent Sexual Behavior
JO  - Sociological inquiry
A1  - Haynie, Dana L.
A1  - Soller, Brian
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - 83
IS  - 4
N2  - While prior research has established associations between individual expectations of future events and risk behavior among adolescents, the potential effects of peers' future perceptions on risk-taking have been overlooked. We extend prior research by testing whether peers' anticipation of college completion is associated with adolescent sexual risk-taking. We also examine whether adolescents' perceptions of the negative consequences of pregnancy and idealized romantic relationship scripts mediate the association between peers' anticipation of college completion and sexual risk-taking. Results from multivariate regression models with data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) indicate peers' anticipation of college completion is negatively associated with a composite measure of sexual risk-taking and positively associated with the odds of abstaining from sexual intercourse and only engaging in intercourse with a romantic partner (compared to having intercourse with a non-romantic partner). In addition, perceptions of the negative consequences of pregnancy and sexualized relationship scripts appear to mediate a large portion of the association between peers' anticipation of future success and sexual risk-taking and the likelihood of abstaining (but not engaging in romantic-only intercourse). Results from our study underscore the importance of peers in shaping adolescent sexual behavior.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0038-0245
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/soin.12019
ID  - ref1
ER  -