Intention to postpone sexual initiation among Puerto Rican female adolescents.

The purpose of this analysis is to examine the factors associated with intentions to initiate sexual intercourse among a group of female high school students in Puerto Rico. A large metropolitan high school was purposively selected for the study. The mean age of the girls who participated in the study (N = 133) was 16 years. 13% of the surveyed girls reported having had intercourse at some point in their lives. 45% indicated that they were sure they would not initiate sex during the next year; 18% indicated that it probably would not happen; and the rest (28%) responded with an even 50/50 or greater chance that it probably would happen. A multiple regression/correlation analysis showed that the mothers traditional sexual values along with the teens own conventional behavior traditional sexual values as well as a perception of conventional behavior by their peers were related to a lower expectation of sexual initiation. (authors modified)