Sexual Initiation in Early Adolescence: The Nexus of Parental and Community Control

Abstract

This study explores the link between neighborhood collective efficacy and the timing of first intercourse for a sample of urban youth. The authors hypothesize that youth who experience lower levels of parental monitoring and higher levels of exposure to neighborhood environments are more likely to be influenced by collective supervision capacity. The study also examines the extent to which parental and neighborhood controls differ in their impact on first intercourse experiences by gender. Analyses of multilevel and longitudinal data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods indicate that neighborhood collective efficacy delays sexual onset only for adolescents who experience lower levels of parental monitoring. Although parental monitoring exerts significantly greater influence on girls' timing of first intercourse, the moderating effect of parental monitoring on collective efficacy holds for both boys and girls.