Methodological Issues in the Study of Premarital Sexuality

The value of existing literature on premarital sexual behavior is limited by both methodological problems in and the descriptive orientation of most past research in this area. Five methodological issues are identified: the terminology used (1) to refer to the two sexes and (2) to characterize the quality of personal relationships; the order of measures of (3) current relationships and current behavior, (4) personal and friends' sexual ideology; and (5) the sex of the interviewer. Data from a methodological study of a sample of 238 undergraduates indicate that the methodological variations employed did not have substantial or systematic effects on the major variables in past research in this area: sexual ideology or standards, lifetime, and current sexual behavior.