Cited by 82Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive HealthNeural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesSexuality, Behavior, and Technology

Early adolescent sexual debut: The mediating role of working memory ability, sensation seeking, and impulsivity.

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Khurana, Atika, Romer, Daniel, Betancourt, Laura M., Brodsky, Nancy L., Giannetta, Joan M., Hurt, Hallam·2012·Developmental Psychology

Abstract

Although deficits in working memory ability have been implicated in suboptimal decision making and risk taking among adolescents, its influence on early sexual initiation has so far not been examined. Analyzing 2 waves of panel data from a community sample of adolescents (N = 347; Mean age[baseline] = 13.4 years), assessed 1 year apart, the present study tested the hypothesis that weak working memory ability predicts early sexual initiation and explored whether this relationship is mediated by sensation seeking and 2 forms of impulsivity, namely acting-without-thinking and temporal discounting. The 2 forms of impulsivity were expected to be positively associated with early sexual initiation, whereas sensation seeking was hypothesized to be unrelated or to have a protective influence, due to its positive association with working memory. Results obtained from structural equation modeling procedures supported these predictions and in addition showed that the effects of 3 prominent risk factors (Black racial identity, low socioeconomic background, and early pubertal maturation) on early sexual initiation were entirely mediated by working memory and impulsivity. The findings are discussed in regard to their implications for preventing early sexual onset among adolescents.

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  1. Wechsler D Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children — fourth edition (WISC-IV) 2003 The Psychological Corporation San Antonio, TX

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Authors
Khurana, A., Romer, D., Betancourt, L. M., Brodsky, N. L., Giannetta, J. M., & Hurt, H.
Affiliations
  • University of Pennsylvania (US)
  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (US)
Venue
Developmental Psychology
Published
2012-09
Volume
48
Issue
5
Pages
1416-1428
ISSN
  • 0012-1649 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-0599
OpenAlex
W2124673651
Cited by
82
References
134
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 2
FWCI
11.93
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Developmental Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA018913)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology
Keywords
working memory, sensation seeking, impulsivity, delay discounting, mediation, risk-taking, pubertal development, socioeconomic status, racial identity
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Female, Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Neuropsychological Tests, Risk Factors, Risk-Taking, Sensation, Sexual Behavior, Space Perception, Statistics as Topic, Models, Statistical

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