Sexuality education beliefs among sexually experienced youth: Differences by gender and birth control use

Purpose: To examine whether gender and birth control use are associated with premarital sexual attitudes, beliefs about peers, family communication about sexual relationships, and sexuality education among sexually experienced youth. Methods: Data were collected from a randomly selected ethnically diverse youth sample (N = 1,253). Only the sexually experienced youth (N = 451) were included for the analyses for this study. Logistic regression was used to determine if attitudes, beliefs, or education were associated with gender or birth control use, while controlling for age. Results: Gender was associated with all constructs except for peer influence; birth control use was associated primarily with parental communication. Conclusion: In the promotion of sexuality education, practitioners should consider gender-related factors associated with the youth's decision whether to become sexually experienced or not. Family-based interventions can be an additional tool to promote healthy sexual practices among youth.