International Family Planning Perspectives |
Timing of First Intercourse Among Malian
Adolescents: Implications for Contraceptive Use |
| Table 1. Percentage of adolescents with selected social and demographic characteristics or median values for selected characteristics, by gender and residence, Mali, 1998 | ||||
| Characteristic | Males | Females | ||
| Urban | Rural | Urban | Rural | |
| (N=403) | (N=372) | (N=443) | (N=478) | |
| Education | ||||
| % ever attended school | 80.6 | 18.6*** | 61.2 | 8.2*** |
| % currently in school | 66.3 | 10.8*** | 40.4 | 2.3*** |
| Marital status | ||||
| % currently married | 0.0 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 48.7 |
| % currently engaged | 0.5 | 4.8*** | 23.7 | 38.7*** |
| Median age at marriage (yrs.) | na | na | na | 17.3 |
| Sexual characteristics | ||||
| Median age at puberty (yrs.) | 16.7 | 16.8 | 15.2 | 15.2 |
| Median age at first intercourse (yrs.) | 17.4 | 16.8 | 17.9 | 15.7 |
| % ever had sex | 48.6 | 38.4** | 52.1 | 82.2*** |
| 15 | 13.5 | 11.2 | 26.6 | 42.1* |
| 16 | 40.3 | 20.5** | 47.5 | 74.7*** |
| 17 | 59.8 | 52.6 | 61.5 | 88.2*** |
| 18 | 66.0 | 66.7 | 68.4 | 95.0*** |
| 19 | 69.8 | 67.9 | 71.7 | 97.5*** |
| *p<.05. **p<.01. ***p<.001. Note: na=not applicable. | ||||
| Table 2. Among all sexually experienced adolescents and among unmarried adolescents who wished they had delayed their first sexual experience, percentage giving selected reasons for first intercourse, by gender, according to residence | ||
| Gender and reason | Urban | Rural |
| ALL SEXUALLY ACTIVE ADOLESCENTS | ||
| Males | (N=196) | (N=143) |
| Curiosity | 50.0 | 40.6 |
| Peer pressure | 43.4 | 49.0 |
| Love | 23.5 | 32.2* |
| Physical attraction | 12.8 | 9.8 |
| Marital duty | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Promise of marriage | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Money | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Fear | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Other | 1.0 | 3.5 |
| Females | (N=231) | (N=393) |
| Curiosity | 6.1 | 2.0** |
| Peer pressure | 3.0 | 0.3 |
| Love | 65.4 | 14.0*** |
| Physical attraction | 8.2 | 1.0*** |
| Marital duty | 1.3 | 45.8*** |
| Promise of marriage | 19.0 | 39.4*** |
| Money | 12.6 | 2.5*** |
| Fear | 4.8 | 3.6 |
| Other | 0.0 | 0.8 |
| UNMARRIED SEXUALLY ACTIVE ADOLESCENTS WHO WISHED SEX HAD BEEN DELAYED | ||
| Males | (N=91) | (N=21) |
| Curiosity | 45.1 | 57.1 |
| Peer pressure | 44.0 | 47.6 |
| Love | 23.1 | 9.5 |
| Physical attraction | 11.0 | 9.5 |
| Other | 1.1 | 0.0 |
| Females | (N=39) | (N=32) |
| Curiosity | 10.3 | 6.3 |
| Peer pressure | 5.1 | 0.0 |
| Love | 48.7 | 6.3** |
| Physical attraction | 5.1 | 6.3 |
| Future husband | 0.0 | 9.4 |
| Promise of marriage | 10.3 | 53.1*** |
| Financial reasons | 25.6 | 12.5 |
| Fear | 20.5 | 15.6 |
| Other | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| *p<.05. **p<.01. ***p<.001. | ||
| Table 3. Percentage distribution of urban unmarried adolescents, by psychological characteristics, according to gender and satisfaction with the timing of their first intercourse | ||||
| Characteristic | Males | Females | ||
| Satisfactory | Too early | Satisfactory | Too early | |
| (N=105) | (N=91) | (N=188) | (N=39) | |
| Self-esteem | ||||
| Low | 24.8 | 25.3 | 17.0 | 25.6 |
| Medium | 41.9 | 40.6 | 39.4 | 59.0* |
| High | 33.3 | 34.1 | 43.6 | 15.4*** |
| Locus of control | ||||
| External | 14.3 | 23.1 | 31.9 | 53.8** |
| Medium | 69.5 | 57.1 | 43.1 | 43.6 |
| Internal | 16.2 | 19.8 | 25.0 | 2.6*** |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| *p<.05. **p<.01. ***p<.001. | ||||
| Table 4. Odds ratios (and 95% confidence intervals) from multivariate analysis of ever-use of modern contraceptives among unmarried urban youth, by gender and selected characteristics | |||
| Gender and characteristic | Without psychological variables | With psychological variables | |
| FEMALES (N=227) | |||
| Demographic characteristics | |||
| Age | 1.44 (1.08-1.93)* | 1.50 (1.11-2.03)** | |
| Engaged | 0.13 (0.05-0.37)*** | 0.11 (0.04-0.32)*** | |
| Educated | 1.26 (0.62-2.56) | 0.91 (0.42-1.95) | |
| Bambara | 1.45 (0.73-2.90) | 1.79 (0.86-3.71) | |
| High economic status | 1.03 (0.53-1.99) | 1.06 (0.52-2.14) | |
| First intercourse | |||
| Age at first intercourse | |||
| <14 | ref | ref | |
| 15-16 | 8.84 (2.13-36.58)** | 11.22 (2.42-52.03)** | |
| >=17 | 3.63 (1.31-10.06)* | 3.71 (1.22-11.26)* | |
| Too early | 0.22 (0.07-0.68)** | 0.32 (0.01-0.10) | |
| Psychological characteristics | |||
| High self-esteem | na | 3.30 (1.65-6.60)*** | |
| Internal locus of control | na | 2.37 (1.05-5.37)* | |
| MALES (N=196) | |||
| Demographic characteristics | |||
| Age | 2.05 (1.48-2.84)*** | 2.08 (1.48-2.92)*** | |
| Educated | 2.04 (0.81-5.10) | 1.46 (0.56-3.83) | |
| Bambara | 0.70 (0.35-1.41) | 0.66 (0.32-1.39) | |
| High economic status | 1.50 (0.76-2.96) | 1.42 (0.70-2.87) | |
| First intercourse | |||
| Age at first intercourse | |||
| <14 | ref | ref | |
| 15-16 | 1.47 (0.49-4.47) | 1.58 (0.50-4.93) | |
| >=17 | 2.24 (0.98-5.09) | 2.47 (1.04-5.84)* | |
| Too early | 0.69 (0.34-1.41) | 0.63 (0.30-1.33) | |
| Psychological characteristics | |||
| High self-esteem | na | 3.04 (1.52-6.07)*** | |
| Internal locus of control | na | 1.62 (0.70-3.75) | |
| *p<.05. **p<.01. ***p<.001. Note: na=not applicable. | |||
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© copyright 2001, The Alan Guttmacher Institute. |