First Premarital Intercourse Among Mexican-American and Anglo-American Adolescent Women: Interpreting Ethnic Differences

A secondary analysis from a cross-sectional survey on the sexual behavior of Mexican-American andA nglo adolescent women was conducted using the methodology of survival analysis. The study examined whether socioeconomic factors or subcultural factors account for observed ethnic differences in the incidence of first premarital intercourse. Under the between-group analysis, a series of regression analyses was conducted in which the independent variables were entered one at a time to determine whether the gross impact of ethnicity on the incidence of first premarital intercourse was reduced. Under the intragroup analysis, the impact of acculturation -independent of socioeconomic factors -on the incidence of first intercourse experience among Mexican Americans was assessed. The results supported the model of subcultural values: Ethnic differences in socioeconomic circumstances alone do not accountfor the observed ethnic differences in the incidence offirst premarital intercourse; however, cultural differences relating to premarital sexual activity do partially account for this gap.