Life history factors, personality and the social clustering of sexual experience in adolescents
Adolescent sexual behaviour may show clustering in neighbourhoods, schools and friendship networks. This study aims to assess how experience with sexual intercourse clusters across the social world of adolescents and whether predictors implicated by life history theory or personality traits can acco...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Royal Society
2016-01-01
|
| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.160257 |
| _version_ | 1819015840660455424 |
|---|---|
| author | Abram J. van Leeuwen Ruth Mace |
| author_facet | Abram J. van Leeuwen Ruth Mace |
| author_sort | Abram J. van Leeuwen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Adolescent sexual behaviour may show clustering in neighbourhoods, schools and friendship networks. This study aims to assess how experience with sexual intercourse clusters across the social world of adolescents and whether predictors implicated by life history theory or personality traits can account for its between-individual variation and social patterning. Using data on 2877 adolescents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, we ran logistic multiple classification models to assess the clustering of sexual experience by approximately 17.5 years in schools, neighbourhoods and friendship networks. We examined how much clustering at particular levels could be accounted for by life history predictors and Big Five personality factors. Sexual experience exhibited substantial clustering in friendship networks, while clustering at the level of schools and neighbourhoods was minimal, suggesting a limited role for socio-ecological influences at those levels. While life history predictors did account for some variation in sexual experience, they did not explain clustering in friendship networks. Personality, especially extraversion, explained about a quarter of friends' similarity. After accounting for life history factors and personality, substantial unexplained similarity among friends remained, which may reflect a tendency to associate with similar individuals or the social transmission of behavioural norms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T02:38:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3776ce7002d446c9b3cf9c75eb4ad902 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T02:38:08Z |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-3776ce7002d446c9b3cf9c75eb4ad9022022-12-21T19:18:44ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032016-01-0131010.1098/rsos.160257160257Life history factors, personality and the social clustering of sexual experience in adolescentsAbram J. van LeeuwenRuth MaceAdolescent sexual behaviour may show clustering in neighbourhoods, schools and friendship networks. This study aims to assess how experience with sexual intercourse clusters across the social world of adolescents and whether predictors implicated by life history theory or personality traits can account for its between-individual variation and social patterning. Using data on 2877 adolescents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, we ran logistic multiple classification models to assess the clustering of sexual experience by approximately 17.5 years in schools, neighbourhoods and friendship networks. We examined how much clustering at particular levels could be accounted for by life history predictors and Big Five personality factors. Sexual experience exhibited substantial clustering in friendship networks, while clustering at the level of schools and neighbourhoods was minimal, suggesting a limited role for socio-ecological influences at those levels. While life history predictors did account for some variation in sexual experience, they did not explain clustering in friendship networks. Personality, especially extraversion, explained about a quarter of friends' similarity. After accounting for life history factors and personality, substantial unexplained similarity among friends remained, which may reflect a tendency to associate with similar individuals or the social transmission of behavioural norms.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.160257adolescent sexual behaviourlife history theorypersonalitysocial clusteringmultiple classification modelsavon longitudinal study of parents and children (alspac) |
| spellingShingle | Abram J. van Leeuwen Ruth Mace Life history factors, personality and the social clustering of sexual experience in adolescents Royal Society Open Science adolescent sexual behaviour life history theory personality social clustering multiple classification models avon longitudinal study of parents and children (alspac) |
| title | Life history factors, personality and the social clustering of sexual experience in adolescents |
| title_full | Life history factors, personality and the social clustering of sexual experience in adolescents |
| title_fullStr | Life history factors, personality and the social clustering of sexual experience in adolescents |
| title_full_unstemmed | Life history factors, personality and the social clustering of sexual experience in adolescents |
| title_short | Life history factors, personality and the social clustering of sexual experience in adolescents |
| title_sort | life history factors personality and the social clustering of sexual experience in adolescents |
| topic | adolescent sexual behaviour life history theory personality social clustering multiple classification models avon longitudinal study of parents and children (alspac) |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.160257 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT abramjvanleeuwen lifehistoryfactorspersonalityandthesocialclusteringofsexualexperienceinadolescents AT ruthmace lifehistoryfactorspersonalityandthesocialclusteringofsexualexperienceinadolescents |