Body Image 8 (2011) 110–118 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Body Image journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/bodyimage Body evaluation and coital onset: A population-based longitudinal study Ingela Lundin Kvalem a,∗ , Tilmann von Soest b , Bente Træen c , Kjetil Singsaas d a Dep. of Psychology, University of Oslo, N-0317 Oslo, Norway b Norwegian Social Research, N-0208 Oslo, Norway c Dep. of Psychology, University of Tromsø, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway d The Children’s and Adolescents’ Psychiatric Out Patient Clinic, Grorud, Akershus Universitetssykehus, 1478 Lørenskog, Norway article info Article history: Received 5 May 2010 Received in revised form 9 February 2011 Accepted 9 February 2011 Keywords: Body evaluation Coital onset Adolescence Longitudinal abstract This study examined the temporal relationship between body evaluation and coital onset. In a population- based longitudinal study, 1449 Norwegian girls and boys between 12 and 15 years of age were followed at 4 waves over a span of 13 years. Body evaluation was used in order to predict coital onset besides romantic appeal and psychological problems. For girls early in adolescence, body evaluation did not influence the probability of coital onset during the first 2-year period. In the subsequent 5-year period, body dissatisfaction increased the probability for coital onset when romantic appeal was held constant. Body evaluation did not influence the odds of coital onset among boys. The findings imply that the pattern of association between body evaluation and coital onset differs according to the timing of coital onset for girls. Future research needs to distinguish body image from romantic appeal in relation to first time sexual experiences. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Adolescence is a period in life when the body changes rapidly and most adolescents encounter their first sexual experiences. Although several researchers have shown that body evaluation is important in explaining sexual behavior, few studies have so far examined the complex relationship between body evaluation and first time sexual experiences in adolescent girls and boys in a methodologically adequate way. Based on data from a longi- tudinal population study spanning a 13-year period, the present article aims to investigate the temporal relationship between sat- isfaction with own appearance and coital onset (first time sexual intercourse) among adolescents and young adults in Norway. Coital onset The timing of coital onset is influenced by a complex pat- tern of cultural, social, and individual factors (Harden, Mendle, Hill, Turkheimer, & Emery, 2008). The majority of adolescents in Norway, as well as their peers in the other Nordic countries, reports that they have their coital debut at the time when they feel mature enough (Helmius, 1990). This feeling is associated with love and ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +47 22 84 51 79; mobile: +47 47 26 25 96; fax: +47 22 84 50 01. E-mail addresses: i.l.kvalem@psykologi.uio.no (I.L. Kvalem), tvs@nova.no (T. von Soest), bente.treen@uit.no (B. Træen), kjetilss@gmail.com (K. Singsaas). with being in a committed relationship with a partner. However, not all adolescents follow this normative pattern. Some may have intercourse at a much younger age than their peers in order to demonstrate maturity, or sex may be traded for security (Træen & Sørensen, 2000). Others postpone their coital debut for several years, most often for ideological reasons. In accordance with previ- ous research (Ramrakha, Bell, Paul, Dickson, Moffitt, & Caspi, 2007), Pedersen, Samuelsen, and Wichstrøm (2003) study using a repre- sentative longitudinal sample of Norwegian adolescents showed that early coital onset was mostly influenced by individual char- acteristics, such as problem behaviors, alcohol use and aggression. The trend is that adolescents – and particularly girls – have their coital onset at an increasingly younger age (Johnson & Tyler, 2007). The median age at first coitus among Norwegian adolescents is 17.9 years for boys and 17.3 years for girls (Pedersen et al., 2003). Whether the coital debut is considered to be too early, too late, or within the pattern of the majority, entering into a sexual situation may be related to body evaluation in various ways. Body evaluation and coital onset The association between positive body evaluation and satisfac- tion with sexual relationships among heterosexual women is well documented in the research literature (Donaghue, 2009; Grogan, 2008), and there are some indications of a similar, albeit weaker, association among men (Sanchez & Kiefer, 2007). Sexually inexperi- enced adolescents may rely more heavily on internalized gendered scripts than experienced women would, thus intensify the gender- 1740-1445/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2011.02.001