Sex Between Young Teens and Older Individuals: A Demographic Portrait By Jennifer Manlove, Ph.D., Kristin Moore, Ph.D., Janet Liechty, M.S.W., Erum Ikramullah, and Sarah Cottingham September 2005 O verview. Over the past decade, considerable legal and policy discussion has emerged about sexual activity between young teens and older individuals. This discussion has been prompt- ed by the growing awareness of the personal and societal costs of this activity. Sex between young teens and older individuals is linked with risky sexual behaviors that could lead to unintend- ed pregnancy and childbearing, as well as to sexually transmitted infections. Among sexually experi- enced teens, having sex with someone who is older has been associated with reduced and inconsistent use of contraception, 1-3 including reduced use of condoms, 4 and a greater risk of a teen pregnancy. 5 More than one in four babies born to mothers between the ages of 15 and 17 were fathered by someone who was five or more years older. 6 On average, young teens who have sex with an older individual report a larger number of sexual partners during the high school years and higher levels of drug and alcohol use than do other sexually experienced teens. 7,8 Some studies of male and female middle school and high school teens also have found that those who were dating an older individual were more likely than were those who were dating a similar-aged individual to engage in sexual intercourse in that relationship. 9-11 And early sexual activity, in itself, is linked to a host of negative outcomes, including having a greater number of sexual partners, a reduced likelihood of using contraception, and a greater likelihood of getting pregnant and giving birth during the teen years. 12 Some research on adolescent brain development provides a larger con- text for these patterns; this research suggests that young teens are not prepared cognitively to make significant life decisions, including decisions about sex and contraception. 13 This research brief draws on recently released data on first sexual experiences from the 2002 Nation- al Survey of Family Growth (NSFG 2002) to present an updated look at sexual relationships between young teens and older individuals. Specifically, we examined males and females whose first sexual intercourse was at age 15 or younger with an individual who was three or more years older. We examined prevalence and trends in first sexual experiences between young teens and older individu- als and identified family and individual factors associated with these young adolescents having sex with individuals three or more years older. We also looked at how the characteristics of the relation- ships that young teens have with older individuals differ from the characteristics of other adolescent sexual relationships, and we assessed whether sex between young teens and older individuals is cor- related with other risky adolescent behaviors. Results of these analyses reinforce the findings of previous research, while also providing new infor- mation. For example, Child Trends’ analyses show that a significant proportion of young male teens – not only of young female teens – have engaged in a first sexual relationship with an older individ- ual of the opposite sex. Among other key findings derived from these analyses are that the youngest sexually experienced teens are the most likely to have sex with an older individual, and that early sex with older individuals is linked with nonvoluntary and forced sex. Publication #2005-07 4301 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 100, Washington, DC 20008 Phone 202-572-6000 Fax 202-362-5533 www.childtrends.org RESEARCH BRIEF © 2005 Child Trends PREVALENCE Females are more likely than are males to have sex with an older individual. In 2002, 13 percent of females and 5 percent of males reported a first sexual experience at age 15 or younger with an individual who was three or more years older (See Figure 1). Males were more likely than were females to be in the “other sexually experienced” category (46 percent,