Study Shows Virginity Pledges Prevent Precautions, Not Premarital Sex
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A study appearing in the journal Pediatrics has found that "virginity pledges," vows to abstain from sex until marriage, have no effect on whether teenagers have sex. They do, however, cause a sharp drop in the use of precautions against pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
The study examined a nationwide sample of 3440 middle and high school students who had never had sex or taken a virginity pledge in 1995. By 1996, 289 of these students had taken a virginity pledge. These subjects were matched with 645 non-pledgers from the original sample with similar demographics, religiosity and attitudes toward birth control. The two groups were compared five years later on self-reported sexual behaviors and positive results for sexually transmitted diseases. Results showed that subjects who had taken virginity pledges were no less likely to engage in premarital sex or to wait longer to have sex. However, fewer pledgers reported using or consistently using birth control or condoms in their past year of sexual activity. The U.S. government currently spends more than $200 million per year on abstinence-promotion programs, including virginity pledges. SHARE:
Posted In: Adolescent Psychology | Human Sexuality | Tags: Teenages | Adolescents | Sex | Pregnancy | Decision Making | Posted by FindCounseling.com Staff on December 29, 2008 at 10:08 AM | Permalink |
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