Adolescent Sexual Activity and Mildly Deviant Behavior: Sibling and Friendship Effects

Abstract

This article addresses the relationship between two related behavioral domains in adolescents: sexual activity and mildly deviant behavior (defined as behaviors of which parents would disapprove, but which are not illegal). Previous work has demonstrated overlap between these behavioral domains. We use a unique data set - the data from the Carolina Population Center's Adolescent Sexuality (ADSEX) Project which contain linkable responses of siblings, best friends, and other friends - to quantify the degree of overlap and separation between sexuality and mild deviance. We cast our work in a conceptual context identifying the prominent members of a respondent's environment, including siblings, same-sex friends (best friends and other friends) and opposite-sex friends (best and other friends). Results support previous research showing overlap between sexuality and mild deviance; however, the two domains are also distinguishable. Furthermore, theoretical predictions generated by the conceptual framework - by considering the relationship of adolescents to others in their environment - are supported by the data.