163-169 Kow-Jones

taking behaviors also affected early initiation of sex and that these associations varied somewhat between male and female adolescents.3 In this article, a followup to that analysis, we use more recent data for the young adult children of female NLSY respondents to more fully investigate early sexual activity. Additionally, we examine the correlates of ineffective contraceptive use and early childbearing. Our major aim is to explore whether common attitudinal and behavioral covariates are associated with these behaviors, and in particular whether there are gender differences in this area. The adolescents in our sample represent a relatively disadvantaged group in that they were born to women who were mostly in late adolescence or young adulthood at the time of the birth. Therefore, results from this sample may not represent patterns among adolescents born to a more diverse cross section of mothers. However, this sample is uniquely suited to our research goals—to identify patterns of influence among those at the highest risk of early sexual behavior and early childbearing.