Impact of Religion on an Adolescent's Sexual Behavior

April 15, 2010

Over the last few decades, God has been removed from schools in America, but He remains a very important part of life to many Adolescents and their families. As many Americans are aware, sex before marriage is a sin. To those who believe and either attend a church or are involved with the church, it is important to please God and adhere to the standard of waiting until marriage. It influences their decision to remain abstinent.

Adolescents who attend a religious institution are less likely to encounter issues with both sexual promiscuity and substance abuse (Wills, Gibbons, Gerrard, Murry, & Brody, 2003). This is not implying that merely going to church decreases the odds of an adolescent engaging in pre-marital sex, but rather that youth who have made a commitment to their religion and vows, such as abstinence, are less likely to engage in adolescent sexual behavior. In a study conducted on adolescents and their religiosity, parent-child communication, and gender (as well as a few other factors) to determine if they had any effect on their sexual behavior, it was found that only the child’s religiosity had a direct, positive effect on their sexual behavior (Wills et al., 2003). Other factors had indirect effects, but the adolescent’s faith showed to have a direct link to refraining from pre-marital sex.

Religious affiliation and religiousness is not only associated with a lower prevalence for pre-marital sex, but it also serves as a protective factor against delinquent behavior in general. It also is related to more pro-social attitudes, a better self-concept, and better coping mechanisms (King & Furrow, 2004). All of these positive benefits of religiousness in an adolescent will help him or her to make better decisions about sexual activity, and reduce their chances of facing an unplanned pregnancy or contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

King, P. E., & Furrow, J. L. (2004). Religion as a resource for positive youth development: Religion, social, capital, and moral outcomes. Developmental Psychology, 40(5), 703-713.

Wills, T. A., Gibbons, F. X., Gerrard, M., Murray, M., & Brody, G. H. (2003). Family communication and religiosity related to substance use and sexual behavior in early adolescence: A test for pathways through self-control and prototype perceptions. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 17(4), 312-323.