Teenagers who display online sexual behaviors are more likely to involve in risky sexual activities in real life, according to a new study.
To examine the prevalence of online (OnSRB) and offline (OffSRB) sexual behaviors among the young generation, to analyze association between the two and note down the risk factors, Susanne E. Baumgartner, of the University of Amsterdam and team looked at 1,762 Dutch adolescents aged between 12 and 18.
Investigators found online and offline sexual behaviors related and common among sensation seeking and less educated teens. Researchers found three developmental pathways of OnSRB with a no risk group (70.2 percent), teen with moderate risk (23.7) and those who are at high risk (6.1 percent), Health Day reported.
Among the OffSRB, 90.6 percent were found at no risk and 9.4 at an increasing pathway.
"Only a minority of adolescents shows sustained high OnSRB. This group is likely to consist of low-educated, high-sensation-seeking adolescents who spend more time communicating on the Internet and come from less cohesive families," the authors wrote. "These same adolescents are also more likely to engage in OffSRB. Preventions should focus on these adolescents."
Findings of the study have been published online Nov. 5 in Pediatrics.
According to a 2011 estimate from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a significant number of adolescents involve in risky sexual behaviors. Of the total high school children interviewed, 33.7 percent agreed having sexual intercourse in the past and engaging in risky sexual behaviors like unprotected sex -without using condom(39.8 percent) or birth control pills (76.7 percent)and having sexual relationship with more than one person (15.3 percent).
According to the agency, this trend can lead to some unexpected health outcomes like sexually transmitted diseases (STD s) or HIV infection and unintended pregnancy. Nearly 8,300 people aged between 13 and 24 were detected with HIV infection in 2009 and about 400,000 American teen girls, aged between 15 and 19 gave birth in 2009.
