Manlove, Jennifer S.
Perper, Kate
Barry, Megan C.
Relationship Profiles and Contraceptive Use Within Young Adult Dating Relationships
Presented: Dallas, TX, Population Association of America Meetings, April 2010
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Adolescent Behavior; Adolescent Sexual Activity; Contraception; Dating; Sexual Activity; Sexual Behavior; Sexual Experiences/Virginity;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

This study examines the association between characteristics of young adult dating relationships and couples' contraceptive use. Using a sample of young adults from the NLSY97, we first employ latent class analysis to establish relationship profiles based on attributes including relationship duration, intimacy and emotional support, relationship commitment, and lack of conflict. We then model the associations between these relationship profiles and the contraceptive method used the last time the couple had sex, comparing condom, hormonal or a combination “dual method,” to no method. We will test these associations with and without controlling for individual and background characteristics of the respondent and his or her partner. Results will contribute to 1) our understanding of characteristics of young adult dating relationships and 2) how the grouping of relationship attributes influences contraceptive use.

Manlove, Jennifer S.
Welti, Kate
Barry, Megan C.
Peterson, Kristen
Schelar, Erin
Wildsmith, Elizabeth
Relationship Characteristics and Contraceptive Use Among Young Adults
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 43,2 (June 2011): 119-128. doi: 10.1363/4311911. Epub 2011 May 17.
Also: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1363/4311911/abstract
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Alan Guttmacher Institute
Keyword(s): Childbearing; Childbearing, Premarital/Nonmarital; Contraception; Dating; Sexual Activity; Sexual Behavior;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Young adults have high rates of unintended childbearing and STDs, yet little research has examined the role of relationship characteristics in their contraceptive use.

METHODS:
Data collected from the 2002-2005 rounds of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth yielded a sample of 4,014 dating relationships among sexually active 18-26-year-olds. Bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic and multinomial logistic regressions assessed associations between relationship characteristics and contraceptive use at last sex.

RESULTS:
In three-quarters of the relationships, respondents had used some method at last intercourse; respondents in 26% of the relationships had used a condom only, in 26% a hormonal method only and in 23% dual methods. Compared with respondents in relationships in which first sex occurred within two months of starting to date, those who first had sex before dating were more likely to have used any method at last sex (odds ratio, 1.4), particularly condoms or dual methods (relative risk ratio, 1.5 for each). The relative risk of using a hormonal method only, rather than no method or condoms only, increased with relationship duration (1.01) and level of intimacy (1.1-1.2). Discussing marriage or cohabitation was associated with reduced odds of having used any method (0.7) and a reduced relative risk of having used condoms alone or dual methods (0.6 for each). Increasing levels of partner conflict and asymmetry were also linked to reduced odds of any method use (0.97 and 0.90, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS:
Prevention programs should address relationship context in contraceptive decision making, perhaps by combining relationship and sex education curricula to foster communication and negotiation skills.
Copyright © 2011 by the Guttmacher Institute.

Scott, Mindy E.
Steward-Streng, Nicole R.
Barry, Megan C.
Neighborhood, Family and School Environments: Associations with the Timing of Adolescent First Sex
Presented: Washington, DC, Population Association of America Annual Meetings, March 31-April 2, 2011
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Population Council
Keyword(s): Adolescent Sexual Activity; Age at First Marriage; Family Environment; Geocoded Data; Neighborhood Effects; School Quality;

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

A major focus of policy and research is on delaying the timing of first sex to help reduce high rates of teenage pregnancy and STDs in the U.S. This study uses data from Rounds 1-8 of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) to examine whether and how different adolescent environments including neighborhood, family, school, and the surrounding physical environment are associated with an earlier timing of first sex. We also examine whether micro-level factors (e.g., parent involvement) are more or less protective against early sexual experience in more disadvantaged neighborhoods. County-level indicators of neighborhood disadvantage (e.g., poverty, unemployment, single motherhood, educational attainment) are used. Preliminary results suggest that many contexts matter for the timing of adolescent sex (e.g., neighborhood, parent involvement, family structure, youth's perceptions of their school and physical environments, parent background) and that these contexts vary depending on the level of neighborhood disadvantage.