Sexual intercourse precedes partner violence in adolescent romantic relationships

To examine whether psychological or physical violence between adolescent romantic partners is associated with the sexual intercourse status of the couple.

This study used a nationally representative sample of 6548 adolescents 12 to 21 years old from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Variables of interest include violence between partners, whether partners had sexual intercourse, and demographics such as respondent's gender, race, and socioeconomic status. Bivariate comparisons of proportions and logistic regression models were used to analyze data.

Violent victimization was more likely to occur in romantic relationships that included sexual intercourse: 37% of the respondents reporting sexual relationships experienced at least one form of verbal or physical violence victimization, compared with 19% of those reporting relationships with no sexual intercourse. In relationships characterized by both sexual intercourse and violence, sexual intercourse was significantly more likely to precede violence rather than the reverse, regardless of type of violent act.

The covariation of violent victimization and sexual intercourse in adolescent romantic relationships underscores the need for health and sex education programs to integrate instruction and guidance on multiple facets of romance and sexuality.