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Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study |
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Preliminary Findings |
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 At the end of the third wave of interviews, respondents were between the ages of 15 and 22. Preliminary findings from this
recent wave indicate the following:
Romantic relationships
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Males who participated in the study did not differ from their female counterparts in their feelings of love for their current
partner.
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Male respondents scored higher on perceptions of influence from their current or most recent romantic partner.
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While most teens indicated that their relationships were relatively equal in terms of the power balance, where a difference
was observed, males more often believed their partners had more power.
Living situation
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18% of the teens interviewed have at one time lived with someone of the opposite sex (not as a roommate) without being married
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8% currently live with someone of the opposite sex (not as a roommate) without being married
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1% are married
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9% either have children or have had at least one live birth
Employment
Sexual identity
- 91% of the teens interviewed report being heterosexual, while 8% report being bi-sexual, and 1% report being homosexual
Sex
- Teens consistently report fear of pregnancy, parental disapproval, and STDs as the top reasons for not having sex
- 68% of teens interviewed have had sex
- The average age at which teens first had sex is 16.9 years, while the average age at which their parents first had sex was
17.3 years
- Of those who have had sex:
- The average number of sex partners is 5.7
- 16% report having 10 or more sex partners
- Approximately 20% of those who have dated within the past two years have cheated sexually on their current or most recent
partner
- 58% have had sex with a person they are not actually dating, such as a friend, a former boyfriend or girlfriend, or someone
they just met. 26% of those who have done this used no birth control with that person
Birth control
Of those who have dated in the past two years:
- Approximately 7% of those who had sex never used any kind of birth control with their current or most recent partner
- Of those who used birth control with their current or most recent partner, approximately 6% have never used a condom
- Condom use
- 16% of those who have used condoms in the past with their current or most recent partner are not currently using a condom
with their partner
- Only 35% of those who have used condoms with their current or most recent partner use them every time with that partner
- Of those who don't always use a condom every time with their current or most recent partner, 78% agreed that it was because
they trust that their partner doesn't have any sexually transmitted disease, 64% because they trust and love their partner,
and 63% because they are using another form of birth control
Spiritual life
- 42% of the teens interviewed rated their spiritual life as important
- 25% pray daily, while 19% never pray
- 21% attend religious services at least once a week, while 33% never attend religious services
Ideas/Beliefs
- 71% of teens interviewed feel it is okay for an unmarried couple to live together
- 32% feel it is important to have a boy/girlfriend
- 67% feel it is important to have their parents' approval
Future expectations
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44% of the teens interviewed expect to graduate from a four-year college
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6% expect to drop out of high school
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77% of those who are not currently married feel it is important to marry some day
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43% of those who are not currently living with someone feel it is likely they will live with someone before they get married
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