Seventy percent of 10th graders surveyed in two California public high schools in 2003 said that they had thought about "sexual boundaries"; when asked to indicate which of a variety of conditions would have to be met before they would have vaginal sex, they most often selected ones pertaining to maturity and emotional closeness in a relationship.[1] Males were more concerned about a partner's attractiveness, and placed less emphasis on emotional factors, than females. Sexually experienced youth were more likely than others to say that they would have sex at any opportunity and to be concerned about relationship duration and commitment.
The survey was part of a longitudinal study of teenagers’ views of and participation in sexual behavior. Students were enrolled when they entered ninth grade, in 2002, and completed self-administered surveys every six months until the end of grade 11. Survey questions covered youths’ demographic characteristics; experience with vaginal and oral sex; and, beginning in the fall of 2003, sexual boundaries. The questions on sexual boundaries were preceded by a definition ("setting limits with your partner about what you are willing to do sexually") and an acknowledgment that some people set boundaries but others do not. Analyses included data from 518 students.
At the start of grade 10, respondents were, on average, 15 years old; 59% were female. The sample had a diverse racial and ethnic makeup: Forty-one percent of youth were white, 29% Latino, 21% Asian and 9% Pacific Islander. (Because only 12 black students participated in this survey round, they were omitted from the analyses.) Close to one-third of students were sexually experienced—11% had had only oral sex, 4% only vaginal sex and 17% both.
Overall, 70% of participants reported having thought about sexual boundaries. Results of chi-square testing indicated that the proportion was greater among females than among males (81% vs. 56%); it did not differ between sexually experienced and inexperienced youth.
The questionnaire provided a list of 13 conditions, and asked respondents to check all those that had to be met before they would have vaginal sex. Youth most frequently indicated that they would have to feel mature enough to handle the consequences (53% gave this response), be married (52%), trust their partner (51%), be in love (47%) and be in a committed relationship (44%). The least common responses were that youth would not have vaginal sex under any circumstances (4%) and that they would have sex at any opportunity (10%). Notably, only four in 10 said that their decision to have sex would hinge on the availability of a "safer sex method." Between 16% and 25% of students said they would have sex only at a certain age, if their partner were attractive, if the relationship had reached a particular duration, if they would not get in trouble or if no one would find out.
Males were more likely than females to indicate that they would take any opportunity to have sex (21% vs. 3%), to say that their partner had to be attractive (36% vs. 16%) or to be concerned about not getting in trouble (30% vs. 22%). Females were more likely than males to say that their behavior would depend on their maturity (57% vs. 47%); the length of the relationship (19% vs. 11%); trusting their partner (55% vs. 45%); or being married, in love or in a committed relationship (50–61% vs. 36–39%).
Sexual boundaries differed little among the racial and ethnic groups studied. Whites were more likely to consider age a key criterion (23%) than were Asians and Pacific Islanders (8% of each). They were less likely than these two groups to say that marriage was a necessary condition for vaginal sex (45% vs. 60–66%).
The researchers used logistic regression to assess differences in sexual boundaries by students’ sexual experience; results were the same with and without controls for gender and race. Compared with sexually inexperienced students, those who had had only vaginal sex were more likely to say that they would have sex at any opportunity (odds ratio, 9.6) and less likely to say they considered marriage a prerequisite to sex (0.4). Those who had had only oral sex had increased odds of being concerned about age, relationship duration and commitment, trust in a partner and being in love (2.1–3.8); they had reduced odds of indicating that being unmarried was a barrier (0.4). Students who had had both vaginal and oral sex were less likely than their sexually inexperienced peers to consider maturity and marriage necessary conditions for vaginal sex (0.3 for each); they were more likely than teenagers with no sexual experience to say that they would have sex at any opportunity (5.9) and to be concerned about a partner's attractiveness, relationship length, commitment and trust (1.8–2.5).
As the researchers note, the study is limited by a number of design characteristics, including the use of a convenience sample and hypothetical questions. At the same time, they contend that it points up shortcomings of current safer-sex interventions, which largely do no take into account teenagers’ thoughts and emotions, or acknowledge that these "may be very different for sexually inexperienced adolescents who are contemplating initiating sex [and] sexually experienced adolescents." Further work on understanding teenagers’ sexual boundaries, they conclude, could lead to the development of interventions that are delivered in a way "that is congruent" with adolescents’ sexual decision making.—D. Hollander
Reference
1. Wolf HT, Morrell HER and Halpern-Felsher BL, Identification and characterization of adolescents’ sexual boundaries, Journal of Adolescent Health, 2013,