Our findings established a link between alcohol problems and/or conduct disorder problems and onset of sexual intercourse above and beyond familial factors and other demographic variables. Researchers have suggested that environmental factors, including peers who condone risk behavior, may be a mediating factor that contributes to the heightened risk of engaging in early onset of sexual intercourse though we have no data on this issue (Donenburg, Emerson, Bryant, Wilson, & Weber-Shifrin, 2001). It is also conceivable that this constellation of behaviors may be partly due to genetic factors that influence a common underlying vulnerability to disinhibitory behavior (Iacono & McGue, 2002). Future research will be needed to delineate the pathways that contribute to this relationship.
