School Achievement and Sexual Abstinence: Positive Correlates for Adolescents?

Abstract

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, one out of five youths has experienced sexual intercourse before the age of 15.That this early sexual involvement may have negative consequences on the adolescent’s personality system, behavior system, and environment system has been posited. This study clearly supports this assertion with regard, specifically, to school achievement. While causality cannot be confirmed, a strong relationship was found between school achievement and beliefs favoring abstinence. That the high achieving youths in this study see the gains to be realized from abstinence is indicated by their self-reported agreement with abstaining from sex, even until marriage. Conversely, the low achieving youths seem not to be realizing the negative consequences associated with early sexual involvement. Educational outcomes certainly seem to be associated with choices made by youths regarding their sexual behavior and intentions. Abstinence education interventions may be an important addition to education of quality.