Is sexual activity during adolescence good for future romantic relationships?

Objectives: The study examines the effects of different forms of sexual activity at the age of 16 on sexuality and the quality of romantic relationships at the age of 23. Method: In a multimodal longitudinal study (diaries, questionnaires), 144 16-year-old adolescents (59.7 % female) reported on their sexual activities and their relationship status. At the age of 23, they reported on their romantic and sexual experiences in the past two years and the quality of their current romantic relationship. Regressions analyzed the predictive power of adolescent predictors for future sexuality and relationship quality. Results: For men and women, frequent non-committed sexual activities at the age of 16 consistently predicted a higher probability of participating in different patterns of non-committed sexual encounters and short relationship duration at the age of 23 years. Adolescents who were more satisfied in their romantic relationships had more stable, longer-lasting partner relationships at young adulthood. Discussion: The special role that non-committed sexual activities compared to sexual activities within a romantic relationship play in future sexual and romantic activities became clear. Parental influences were negligible.