Race was significantly associated with becoming sexually active at age 16 or younger in the survival analysis. Our findings lend support to previous studies which document the differences among racial and ethnic groups and early initiation of sexual intercourse (Blum et al., 2000; Furstenberg, Morgan, Moore, & Peterson, 1987; Miller, Benson, & Galbraith 2001; Upchurch, Levy-Storms, Sucoff, & Aneshense, 1998). The observed differences in age of first sexual intercourse may emerge from socially and culturally determined understandings of what is appropriate for and expected of African Americans and Caucasians. In addition, race may be a proxy for socioeconomic status or other unmeasured variables. Gender and religious background were non-significant predictors of sexual debut. These unexpected findings may be due to our inclusion of key variables into the survival analysis which may be assessing the risk for early sexual intercourse more precisely than past studies. They could also relate to the nature of the families studied.
