Adolescent sexual behavior and early childbearing: Empirical tests of social control and strain theories

Research presented in this dissertation summarizes the factors associated with adolescent sexual behavior and early childbearing. Emphasis is placed on assessing the usefulness of hypotheses suggested by two general theories of 'deviance', social control theory and strain theory, to explain race differences in these phenomena. Causal models are tested using panel data from the first two waves of the National Youth Survey for adolescent male and female sexual behavior, while panel data from the sophomore cohort of High School and Beyond are used to examine the factors associated with early childbearing.Logistic regression techniques are used to examine social control variables (e.g., attachment to family, commitment to educational goals, and involvement in conventional activities) and strain variables (e.g., the discrepancy between educational aspirations and expectations, and the perception of decreasing educational opportunities) for their effects on both sexual behavior and early parenthood. Results of the analyses suggest that among the general adolescent population, both social control and strain factors are significant predictors. However, when separate analyses are conducted within race and gender specific subgroups, significant differences emerge. The overall findings suggest that policies targetted toward adolescents in general will be least successful. Policies with more specific goals must carefully consider the overall context in which adolescents make decisions about their lives.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio