A new study has found that teens having sex while in a committed relationship do no better or worse in school than those who don't have sex.
According to an article on CNN.com the authors of the study say students who have sex only with romantic partners have generally similar academic outcomes as students who abstain from sex.
The same isn't true for teens who "hook up." Researchers found that those who have casual flings get lower grades and have more school-related problems compared with those who abstain.
The findings of the study by Bill McCarthy of the University of California and Eric Grodsky of the University of Minnesota, were presented Sunday at a meeting of the American Sociological Association in Atlanta. The study challenges to some extent assumptions that sexually active teens tend to do poorer in school.
It's not so much whether a teen has sex that determines academic success, the researchers say, but the type of sexual relationship they're engaged in. Teens in serious relationships may find social and emotional support in their sex partners, reducing their anxiety and stress levels in life and in school.
ProNews 7 spoke with Amy Christie executive director of Worth the Wait here in Amarillo she said when kids stay away from all types of risky behavior they seem to do better all around.
"I read the article and I believe the study had some valid points. But we here at Worth the Wait believe that kids should stay away from all risky behaviors."
If female students report having only nonromantic sexual relationships, they are likely to miss twice as many days of school as virgins and they are 96 percent more likely to face suspension or expulsion, the study said.
Male students who report having only nonromantic sex are 30 percent less likely to aspire to or expect to attend college. They also face a 200 percent greater chance of being expelled or suspended than do male students who are virgins.
"This should give some comfort to parents who may be concerned that their teenage son or daughter is dating," said sociologist Peggy Giordano of Bowling Green State University, who had no role in the research. Teen sex is "not going to derail their educational trajectories," she said.
Females who report having both romantic and nonromantic sexual relationships have a 55 percent greater risk of truancy, 30 percent lower chance of hoping to attend college and 300 percent greater chance of dropping out.
But the study said the dropout rate should be viewed with caution because of the small numbers in some of the relationship categories. Twenty-three female dropouts reported to be in exclusively nonromantic relationships; 31 female dropouts said they were sexually involved only in a romantic relationship; and 40 female dropouts reported they were virgins.
Males who reported having both romantic and nonromantic sexual relationships have a 120 percent greater chance of being truant and 270 percent greater chance of dropping out.
Last year nearly half of high school students reported having sexual intercourse, and 14 percent have had four or more partners, according to a federal survey released this summer.
The study involved data from the "National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health" and the "Adolescent Health Academic Achievement Study."
The authors said their findings raise some doubts about abstinence-only education programs that link all types of adolescent sex to a wide variety of problems for teens.
More on this story from the Associated Press:
For the study, University of California, Davis sociologist Bill McCarthy and University of Minnesota sociologist Eric Grodsky analyzed surveys and school transcripts from the largest national follow-up study of teens that began during the 1994-95 academic year. The researchers said not much has changed in terms of when teens first have sex or attitudes toward teen sex in the past decade.
The duo examined how teens' sexual behaviors affected their learning and controlled for factors that might influence their results.
Among the findings:
-Teens in serious relationships did not differ from their abstinent counterparts in terms of their grade-point average, how attached they are to school or college expectations. They were also not more likely to have problems in school, be suspended or absent.
-Compared with virgins, teens who have casual sex had lower GPAs, cared less about school and experienced more problems in school. For example, female teens who have flings had GPAs that were 0.16 points lower than abstinent teens. Male teens who have casual sex had GPAs that were 0.30 points lower than those who do not have sex. Teens who hook up also were at greater risk of being suspended or expelled and had lower odds of expecting to go to college.
-Teens who have sex - whether it's a serious or casual relationship - were at higher risk of being truant and dropping out compared with teens who don't have sex. The researchers said the dropout results should be interpreted with caution because the numbers were small.
"Having sex outside of a romantic relationship may exacerbate the stress youths experience, contributing to problems in school," Grodsky said.
In a statement, the Family Research Council said the study confirms what the group has long advocated about the negative consequences of casual sex.
But the council said it "would not interpret less severe educational impacts on students involved in `committed' sexual relationships as a green light for comprehensive" sex education.
University of Southern California sociologist Julie Albright disagreed. She said it might be time to revamp sex education to "emphasize the importance of relationships and spell out the consequences of casual sex."
The study dispels the notion that all teen sex is bad, said Marie Harvey, professor of public health at Oregon State University.
"The type of relationship really matters. When it comes to sexual behavior, it takes two to tango," said Harvey, adding that safe sex should be practiced to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
Parents we want to know what you think of this study let us know by leaving your comments below.
Other links:
American Sociological Association
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