The link still stood even after genetic and environmental factors were taken into account. Also, later involvement in sexuality resulted in lower chances of marriage and these individuals did not have as many romantic partners during adulthood as the Early and On-Time groups. Harden discovered that later involvement in sexual activity was linked to higher attainment of goals educationally, as well as more income during adult years, than those in the Early and On-Time groups. The individuals were put into 3 categories based on the timing they first participated in sexual intercourse Early (younger than 15), On-Time (ages 15 to 19), and Late (older than 19). Paige Harden, a psychological scientist, decided to look into whether when adolescents begin to engage in sexual activity can forecast future romantic outcomes, including number of sexual partners, living with spouses, and marriage, as well as whether the person will be happy in their partnership during adulthood.ĭata was collected from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health to examine1659 pairs of same sex siblings who were studied from around the ages of 16 to 29 (adolescence to young adulthood). What Part Does Early Sexual Experience Play In Later Outcomes?
