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Abstinence-only pledgers at increased risk for HPV, nonmarital pregnancy
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Risk for human papillomavirus and nonmarital pregnancy increased among adolescents who took “virginity pledges” as part of abstinence-only sexual education, according to recent research in the Journal of Marriage and Family.
“The present research maintains that previous studies may have obscured important differences in exposure risk and hypothesizes that female pledge-breakers who have higher exposure risk are more likely to experience human papillomavirus (HPV) and nonmarital pregnancies,” Anthony Paik, PhD, of the department of sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and colleagues wrote. “Fifteen to 24 year-olds also represent half of new sexually transmitted infections, with HPV accounting for more than 70% of new cases. Given these statistics, identifying individual and institutional factors promoting nonmarital pregnancies and STIs … is an important concern.”
Anthony Paik
The researchers collected data from the Add Health study, which followed students from grades 7 to 12 through young adulthood, between 1994 and 2008. Specifically, the researchers used data collected from wave 1 of Add Health, which included interviews from 20,745 adolescents from 1994 and 1995; and wave 3, which followed up with 15,197 participants 7 years later. Ultimately, the researchers studied 3,254 girls for the study’s HPV arm and 1,335 girls for the nonmarital pregnancy arm. Results from males were excluded as HPV samples were not collected and pregnancy data would not be reliable. The researchers analyzed data from adolescent girls and young women related to HPV, pregnancy, marital and pledge status, along with number of sex partners, timing of sexual debut and demographic information.
Study results found that among the participants in the HPV analysis arm, pledgers were more likely to acquire HPV, particularly once they had six to 10 sexual partners (51% vs. 33%; P < .05). Results were similar among the nonmarital pregnancy arm, which found that pledgers were more likely to become pregnant outside of marriage than nonpledgers. (P < .000).
Overall, the researchers reported that approximately the same proportion of pledgers and nonpledgers had sex before wave 3 (81% vs. 83%). The prevalence of HPV also was about the same; however, pledgers were more likely to have experienced a nonmarital pregnancy between wave 1 and wave 3 (31% vs. 24%; P < .05).
“If adolescents either are provided inaccurate information about condom use or contraception or are socialized to be hostile to these practices, they could be in a bind when they break pledges, as almost all of them do,” Paik and colleagues wrote. “This highlights the importance of comprehensive sexual education, or at least some form of abstinence-plus education that ensures that young adults are adequately prepared to effectively manage their sexual and reproductive health once they become sexually active.” – by David Costill
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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