Examining The Roles of Peer Norms, Peer Influence Susceptibility, and Gender in Early Adolescents’ Numbers of Sexual Partners Over Time: An Innovative Experimental Paradigm and Longitudinal Study Design

This dissertation considers the complex roles of peer norms in early adolescents’ development of sexual behavior, with special attention to gender and peer influence susceptibility as moderators. Study 1 examined longitudinal associations between adolescents’ perceived peer norms and numbers of sexual partners, with gender examined as a moderator. Participants were 546 adolescents in grades 7 and 8 at three rural, low-income middle schools (55.9% female; Mage=13; 46.3% Caucasian, 27.5% African American, 23.3% Hispanic/Latino, 2.9% Other), followed for three years. Adolescents self-reported their perceptions of friends’ and popular peers’ attitudes and behaviors regarding coital and noncoital sexual behaviors at baseline, along with their own numbers of partners at three annual time points. Results revealed that, overall, peer norms were associated with adolescents’ numbers of sexual partners. Findings were generally stronger for boys than girls, and longitudinal associations were only found among boys. Additionally, results suggested that descriptive norms may be more relevant for adolescents’ sexual behavior than injunctive norms, and that norms were more predictive of noncoital than coital behaviors. Study 2 paired an experimental paradigm with this longitudinal study in a subset of 272 participants, examining peer influence susceptibility as a moderator of associations between peer norms and sexual behavior. In addition to self-reporting peer norms and sexual behavior as in Study 1, this subset participated in an experimental “chat room” paradigm involving “electronic confederates” who endorsed sexual behaviors. Changes in participants’ responses to hypothetical scenarios before versus during the “chat room” were used as a performance-based measure of peer influence susceptibility. Most models examined in Study 2 were non-significant, and no longitudinal associations were revealed. Among boys, some findings were consistent with hypotheses; peer norms were more strongly associated with concurrent sexual behavior at higher levels of susceptibility. Among girls, in contrast, some findings were unexpected and in the opposite direction, with peer norms more strongly associated with sexual behavior at lower susceptibility levels. This dissertation highlights the important roles of peer factors and gender in adolescents’ development of sexual behavior, and underscores the theoretical and methodological complexities of these associations. Implications for theory and prevention efforts are discussed.Doctor of Philosoph

Longitudinal Associations Among Popularity, Likeability, and Drinking Across the Adolescent Transition: A Multivariate Latent Growth Curve Analysis

This study used latent growth curve modeling to examine associations between two forms of peer status and longitudinal drinking trajectories across the transition to high school. In a sample of 165 adolescents in Grade 8 at baseline, participants self-reported their alcohol use and provided sociometric nominations of peers' popularity and likeability, at three annual time points. Consistent with hypotheses, higher 8th grade popularity was associated with higher baseline drinking and with increased drinking trajectories from 8th to 10th grade. However, contrary to hypotheses, lower baseline likeability predicted increased concurrent and longitudinal drinking. These findings underscore the importance of studying the risk behavior correlates of these two distinct peer status constructs. Additionally, results suggest the value in considering preventive interventions that target popular youth; these adolescents may be at higher risk for alcohol use and also may be in a unique position to influence the attitudes and behaviors of their peers.Master of Art

Technology-Based Communication and the Development of Interpersonal Competencies Within Adolescent Romantic Relationships: A Preliminary Investigation

This study investigated longitudinal associations between adolescents’ technology-based communication and the development of interpersonal competencies within romantic relationships. A school-based sample of 487 adolescents (58% girls; Mage = 14.1) participated at two time points, one year apart. Participants reported (1) proportions of daily communication with romantic partners via traditional modes (in person, on the phone) versus technological modes (text messaging, social networking sites) and (2) competence in the romantic relationship skill domains of negative assertion and conflict management. Results of cross-lagged panel models indicated that adolescents who engaged in greater proportions of technology-based communication with romantic partners reported lower levels of interpersonal competencies one year later, but not vice versa; associations were particularly strong for boys

Adolescent Susceptibility to Peer Influence in Sexual Situations

One consistent predictor of adolescents’ engagement in sexual risk behavior is their belief that peers are engaging in similar behavior; however, not all youth are equally susceptible to these peer influence effects. Understanding individual differences in susceptibility to peer influence is critical to identifying adolescents at risk for negative health outcomes. The purpose of this project was to identify predictors of susceptibility to peer influence using a novel performance-based measure of sexual risk-taking

Parent-Adolescent Sexual Communication and Adolescent Safer Sex Behavior: A Meta-Analysis

Parent-adolescent sexual communication has received considerable attention as one factor that can positively impact safer sex among youth; however, the evidence linking communication to youth contraceptive and condom use has not been empirically synthesized

Safe Sext: Adolescents' Use of Technology to Communicate About Sexual Health With Dating Partners

This study examined adolescents’ technology-based sexual communication with dating partners, and evaluated associations between technology-based communication and condom use

Adolescent sexual health communication and condom use: A meta-analysis.

Condom use is critical for the health of sexually active adolescents, and yet many adolescents fail to use condoms consistently. One interpersonal factor that may be key to condom use is sexual communication between sexual partners; however, the association between communication and condom use has varied considerably in prior studies of youth. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to synthesize the growing body of research linking adolescents’ sexual communication to condom use, and to examine several moderators of this association

An experimental examination of peers' influence on adolescent girls' intent to engage in maladaptive weight-related behaviors: Peers' Influence On Weight-Related Behaviors

Social psychological theories provide bases for understanding how social comparison processes may impact peer influence. This study examined two peer characteristics that may impact peer influence on adolescent girls’ weight-related behavior intentions: body size and popularity

Correlates of Adolescent and Young Adult Sexual Initiation Patterns

CONTEXT: Identifying adolescent characteristics associated with different patterns of sexual initiation is critical to promoting healthy sexual development. METHODS: Patterns of sexual initiation were examined among 12,378 respondents to Waves 1 (1994-1995) and 4 (2008) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Multinomial logistic regression explored associations between adolescent characteristics and membership in five latent classes capturing the timing, sequence, pace and variety of sexual initiation patterns. RESULTS: Age and indicators of greater psychosocial conventionality were associated with membership in the atypical "postponers" class (characterized by postponement of oral, vaginal and anal sexual activity until early adulthood), although patterns of associations varied by gender. For example, compared with males who attended religious services at least once a week, males who never attended religious services were more likely to appear in the vaginal initiators/multiple behaviors class (characterized by initiation of vaginal sex first and then initiation of another behavior after at least one year), rather than in the postponers class (relative risk ratio, 2.5). Compared with women who prayed at least once a day, those who never prayed were more likely to be in the vaginal initiators/single behavior class (whose members typically engaged in only one type of behavior), rather than in the postponers class (2.0). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals who are more adherent, and presumably more committed, to the attitudes, values and expectations of conventional society are more likely than others to delay multiple types of sexual activity until well beyond the norm for their peers

Sexual Communication Between Early Adolescents and Their Dating Partners, Parents, and Best Friends

This study assessed early adolescents' sexual communication with dating partners, parents, and best friends about six sexual health topics: condoms, birth control, STDs, HIV/AIDS, pregnancy, and abstinence/waiting. Using a school-based sample of 603 youth (ages = 12–15; 57% female; 46% Caucasian), we examined communication differences across demographic and developmental factors, tested whether communication with parents and best friends was associated with greater communication with partners, and examined associations between communication and condom use. Over half of participants had not discussed any sexual topics with their dating partners (54%), and many had not communicated with parents (29%) or best friends (25%). On average, communication was more frequent among adolescents who were female, African American, older, and sexually active, despite some variation in subgroups across partner, parent, and friend communication. Importantly, communication with parents and friends – and the interaction between parent and friend communication – was associated with increased communication with dating partners. Further, among sexually active youth, increased sexual communication with partners was associated with more frequent condom use. Results highlight the importance of understanding the broader family and peer context surrounding adolescent sexual decision-making and suggest a possible need to tailor sexual communication interventions