Longitudinal Associations Between Early Noncoital Sexual and Romantic Behaviors and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms
Early noncoital sexual behaviors, but not romantic relationships, are associated with an increase in depressive symptoms for adolescents of all genders, with stronger associations for nonbinary adolescents. Findings suggest the importance of focusing on noncoital behaviors in sexuality education programs and providing supports for nonbinary adolescents.
Authors
- Sara A. Vasilenko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1773-8947)
- Linghua Jiang
- Xiafei Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6820-0648)
- Kirstin L. Clear
- Liliana Germain
Institutions
- University of Kentucky (US)
- University of Colorado Boulder (US)
- Institute for Behavioral Medicine (US)
- Syracuse University (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Adolescence
- Published
- 2025-08-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.70039
- Primary Topic
- Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- National Cancer Institute