Summary: Sexual Debut in
December for Teen Couples
Teens with romantic partners are nearly three times more likely to
make their sexual debut in December than those dating casually.
According to an article written by the Journal of
Marriage and Family, a study was recently conducted by the National
Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health on approximately 21,000
teenagers (as young as seventh graders). The Mississippi State
researchers cross-referenced the month teens said they lost their
virginity with responses to questions about the seriousness of their
relationships with their sexual partners. Researchers found that
while June is the most common month for teens to have sex for the
first time, be it in a casual summer fling or steady relationship,
many teens who are dating seriously choose December as the time to
have sex for the first time. In fact, their findings have led the
researchers to predict that teens with romantic partners are nearly
three times more likely to make their sexual debut in December than
those dating casually. The accent on romance has led researchers to
conclude that the holiday season (and all the romanticism that
surrounds it) plays a key role. To fully understand what’s behind
the December teen sex phenomenon, the Mississippi State researchers
plan more studies on this issue. Whatever the reasons may be,
experts say the holidays are a good time for parents to talk to
their teens about sex.1
1Seasonality
of Sexual Debut,
Journal of Marriage and Family, November 2002, pp. 871-884.
