Efforts to delineate the factors that motivate early sexual debut also underscore the importance of parenting practices and genetic influences as sources of risk. Lack of parental supervision and support, limited family connectedness, single parenthood, marital discord, and poor quality of parental–child relationship all have been correlated with negative behavioral outcomes, including early sexual activity among children and adolescents (Roche et al., 2005). The tumultuous relationship patterns and adverse childhood experiences caused by alcohol dependent parents are consistently linked with multiple deleterious emotional and behavioral problems in their adolescent offspring (American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Substance Abuse, 2001). Similarly, adolescent and young adult parents constitute a high-risk group often connected with adverse parenting practices that may be associated with offspring's early sexual debut (Chassin, Flora, & King, 2004). Genetic effects may also influence the disinhibitory traits of individuals (i.e., sensation seeking, impulsivity, non-conformity) placing them at greater risk for early sexual onset (Iacono & McGue, 2002). Parental factors, both environmental and genetic, may play a large role in determining whether or not a youth decides to engage in early sexual debut; yet, there is a dearth of research that examines which specific risk factors actually impact this behavior.
