The Benefits of Being a Late Bloomer
October 30th, 2012
The average age of sexual initiation is roughly between 16 and 19. Although some teens wait until much later, many begin engaging in sexual behavior before the age of 15. Numerous studies have looked at the negative consequences associated with early sexual initiation, such as emotional problems, HIV/AIDS, pregnancy, and intimate partner violence. But recently, researchers at the University of Texas looked at how sexual-initiation age could benefit people later in life. In a study led by Paige Harden, 1,659 sibling pairs were evaluated from middle adolescence through young adulthood. They were asked when they began having sexual intercourse, how many partners they had, and, if they were in current relationships, how happy they were.
Harden found that the participants who were in satisfying, committed relationships in adulthood were those that started having sex in their late teens or early twenties. These individuals reported less relationship conflict and more respect, affection, and love for their partners than the participants who had earlier sexual-initiation ages. Harden tested this outcome further by including factors such as physical appearance, body mass index, and education and came up with the same results. She believes that people who begin sexual activity after they have reached physical and cognitive maturity may make better partner decisions and be more discriminating in their choices. They may also have stronger communication skills that can benefit their overall relationship.
The results of this study don’t suggest that earlier sexual initiation can increase negative outcomes. Rather, these findings demonstrate that being a late bloomer can act as a protective factor. “We still don’t understand precisely why delaying sexual intercourse is correlated with more satisfied adult relationships,” Harden said. She hopes that future research will look at the flip side of her study, and in particular if early sexual activity among teens decreases their chances of having satisfying, positive relationships in adulthood.
Reference:
Ochsner, David. Does true love wait? Age of first sexual experience predicts romantic outcomes in adulthood. (n.d.): n. pag. The University of Texas at Austin. 18 Oct. 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. http://www.utexas.edu/news/2012/10/18/does-true-love-wait-age-of-first-sexual-experience-predicts-romantic-outcomes-in-adulthood/
© Copyright 2012 by www.GoodTherapy.org Orlando Bureau - All Rights Reserved.
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7 Comments | Click here to leave a comment.
Comments
But what can we do to keep our teens from engaging in sex at earlier and earlier ages? I kno we try to talk to them about making good choices, but sometimes those hormones start talking and it is next to impossible for them to ignore what they are feeling! I want to tecah my own girls to feel good about themselves and to have self confidence and to know that it is okay to slow down and take it slow but how do I know when what I am saying is actually getting through to them and that they will be able to wait?
As a result when I was a late bloomer, I really really hated it. I still looked like a kid when all of my friends were getting hair on their chest and were sounding like me!
But now I do see the benefits of all of this happeneing late for me. I think that it made me appreciate women more than I would have because it gave me the chance to be with them as friends before all of that crazy hormonal stuff started happening. It gave me time to realize who I was and the things that I loved about school and about what I wanted my future to hold.
Yeah, I love the ladies now but maybe I would not have appreciated all of their intricacies had I been thrown into sexual relationships with them earlier than I was.
Try telling the late blooming kids in any middle school or high school right now that they are fine, that this is actually going to turn out a lot better for them.
Not only are you going to be met with a resounding chorus of sighs from the late bloomers themselves but you are going to cause a lot of fear in the kids who have developed and entered puberty earlier.
We have to prepare them all for the inevitability of growing up, no matter what age it happens at.
Sex,without a doubt,is in the adult domain and kids should stay away.Its not just the physical aspects that sex comprises of,there are many more aspects that younger people are not equipped to handle and they often end up depressed or emotionally hurt.And let us not forget the often unsafe sexual practices these youngsters get into.Sex requires not just sexual maturity but mental maturity too,something that is often lacking in younger people.
Well I didn’t have sex until I was 22. And looking at my friends who started out years earlier,I’m glad about what I did. No mental weight ate of a previous relationship or expectations to stand up to. Basically you are much more secure and cover yourself by blooming late.
This leads to more stisfying adult relationships because like it or not, you were able to mature a little more mentally before being thrown into the lions den of early sexual initiation. This is such a hard time for any of us, but if you have the time to mature a little more then ineviatbly you will make better adnd wiser sexual decisions than you would have at an earlier age. I know that it feels hard at the time when it seems like everyone else is developing and going through the things thta you wish you were going through, but it is so much better in the long term if you just hold off and can patiently wait your turn.
well different people mature and have a sense of responsibility at different ages.it would not be right to dismiss all the lung couple as being immature and prone to problems due to being in relationships while being far too young.
I was a mother at 18 and the husband and I are still happy with our little family even 20 years later.I think it depends on several different factors and not just age.
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