Adolescent Sources of Information on Sex

The sources, age and accuracy of sex information which adolescents learn was investigated. The underlying assumption was that peers are the primary contributors of such information. Thus, the accuracy of information becomes a primary research interest. All students in a large midwestern high school (n = 1152) were included. Peers were the single most-often-cited source of sex information (37.1%). Other sources in frequency were literature, mother, schools, experience, fathers, physicians, and ministers. Petting, homosexuality, and intercourse were subjects where peers contributed considerable information. They seemed to provide much infromation in behaviors that can be experienced immediately. Literature contributed much information in the areas of abortion, prostitution and seminal emissions. Mothers provided virtually all sex information from within the home. Their primary contributions weir in the areas of conception and menstruation, accounting for 1/2 of the total information provided. Schools accounted for only about 15% of the information. Females were more dependent on their mothers for information (22.3%) than were males (6.9%) who were more dependent on their peers (49.1%) than females (33.4%). Ages 12 and 13 were peak times when sexual concepts were being learned. The overall accuracy percentage was 78.7%. The 2 most reliable areas of information were conception and menstruation, and in both cases mothers were the primary contributors.