Factors that Predict Sexual Behaviors among Young Mexican American Adolescents: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

This research used multiple regression to predict the absence of sexual activity among young Mexican American adolescents. The regression model included six predictor variables: child’s religiosity, child’s educational goals, child’s educational grades, child’s perception of parent-child communication, child’s self-esteem, and child’s perception of the congruency of parent-child sexual values. The sample consisted of 413 Mexican American students who were 11 to 14 years old; attended either the sixth, seventh, or eighth grades; and resided in south Texas (Hidalgo County). The best predictors of absence of sexual activity were child’s religiosity, child’s educational goals, and child’s perception of the congruency of parent-child sexual values. Child’s perception of the congruency of parent-child sexual values accounted for more of the variance than any of the other statistically significant predictor variables. This suggests that increasing congruity between parent-child sexual ideas and values is the best preventive measure to delay sexual activity among Mexican American teenagers.