Religiosity, Self‐Control, and Virginity Status in College Students from the “Bible Belt”: A Research Note
Correspondence should be addressed to Alexander T. Vazsonyi, Ph.D., Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Auburn University, 284 Spidle Hall, Auburn, AL 36849. E‐mail: vazsonyi@auburn.edu
Acknowledgments : A previous version of the article was presented at the XIth Biennial Meetings of the European Association for Research on Adolescence (EARA) in Torino, Italy (May 7–May 10, 2008).
Abstract
Using a sample of college students (N = 904) from the “Bible Belt,” this study examines the effect of religiosity and self‐control on late adolescents’ delay in initiating sexual intercourse or oral sex. Findings from logistic regressions provide evidence that for each one unit increase in self‐control, the odds of a male remaining a virgin or of delaying oral sex increased by a factor of 1.82 and 2.84, respectively, while for females, the odds of not engaging in oral sex increased by a factor of 1.67. In addition to the effect of self‐control, a one unit increase in religiosity results in the odds of a male remaining a virgin by a factor of 3.86 and 3.30, respectively. For females the odds are increased by a factor of 4.13 and 2.60, respectively. Mediation tests also provided evidence that self‐control mediated the effects by religiosity on both dependent measures. Thus, both religiosity and self‐control independently and additively function as key social control mechanisms that promote late adolescent health.
Citing Literature
Number of times cited according to CrossRef: 23
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