Good news here about purity pledges...
Virginity pledges do deter some teens from having sex, according to a study by the RAND Corp. that surveyed teen virgins over three years to see whether they stayed that way. Of 1,517 adolescents ages 12 to 17 in 2001 when the research began, teenagers who vowed to remain virgins until they were married were less likely to be sexually active than others who didn't make a pledge.
About one-quarter of the adolescents surveyed (23.8%) made a promise to wait until marriage to have sex; 34% had broken it by 2004, compared with 42% of those who didn't make the pledge and had sex during that time.
Among those already inclined to delay sexual activity, the pledge may have served as extra protection, says RAND psychologist Steven Martino of Pittsburgh, the study's lead author.
Source: USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-06-10-virginity-pledges_N.htm
Comments