Empirical Article
Sexual Experimentation in Heterosexual, Bisexual, Lesbian/Gay, and Questioning Adolescents From Ages 11 to 15
Gu Li,
Jacqueline T. M. Davis,
Corresponding Author
Gu Li
University of British Columbia
Requests for reprints should be sent to Gu Li, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2316 West Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z5, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorGu Li,
Jacqueline T. M. Davis,
Corresponding Author
Gu Li
University of British Columbia
Requests for reprints should be sent to Gu Li, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2316 West Mall, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z5, Canada. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorWe are extremely grateful to all the families who took part in this study, the midwives for their help in recruiting them, and the whole ALSPAC team, which includes interviewers, computer and laboratory technicians, clerical workers, research scientists, volunteers, managers, receptionists, and nurses. The UK Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust (Grant reference: 102215/2/13/2) and the University of Bristol provide core support for ALSPAC. This publication is the work of the authors, and Gu Li will serve as the guarantor for the contents of this paper. This specific study was supported by a Gates Cambridge Scholarship and an honorary Cambridge Australia Scholarship awarded to J. T. M. Davis and research funding awarded to G. Li from the Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge.
Abstract
To examine adolescent sexuality development, we analyzed data from a British cohort study (N = 5,070), which assessed the same 12–14 sexual activities at ages 11, 12, 13, and 15, and sexual orientation identity at age 15. The sexual activities ranged from low (e.g., cuddling), moderate (e.g., kissing), to high (e.g., sexual intercourse) intensity. We found that most adolescents having sexual activities of low-to-moderate intensity with same-sex individuals also had them with other-sex individuals, and adolescents having other-sex contacts of low intensity often reported them nonexclusively. Furthermore, other-sex and same-sex sexual activities did not reliably distinguish between sexual orientation identities. Sex differences in these phenomena were absent or small. These findings suggest that many adolescents have low-intensity nonexclusive sexual behaviors.
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