Self-Identified Multiracials and Sexual Debut: A Move Toward Explanations

Jamie Mihoko Doyle, University of Pennsylvania

Multiracial youth in the U.S. are believed to undergo struggles to attain a singular, isolate identity. This internal conflict is said to be related to deviant behavior, including early sexual debut. Yet explanations for why these patterns occur are known. Using three waves from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, I use discrete time analysis to control for individual characteristics and parental influences and elucidate pathways for trends. Three findings are particularly salient. First, individual-level variables are chief predictors for first intercourse for Blacks, Native Americans, and Black-White multiracials. Second, I find that mixed-race adolescents tend to have earlier sexual debut relative to their single race counterparts, net of all controls. Lastly, physical attractiveness has independent effects in increasing the odds of first intercourse; however it does not explain racial differences. My results suggest that early sexual activity may indicate something more than deviant behavior for multiracial youth.