The Impacts of Father Absence and Neighborhood Reproductive Context on Adolescent Sexual Behavior

Abstract

Using nationally representative data from Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health, this study explores how reproductive context, defined as the census block proportion of single-mother households, may moderate the impact of father absence on risky sexual behavior. In logit regression models, we compare risk for initiating sex before 16, having unprotected first sex, and experiencing/contributing to a pregnancy before 19 across three father absent categories: present, early departure, and late departure; and three block-level proportions of single-mother households: low proportion, moderate proportion, or high proportion. Four interaction terms between father absence and reproductive context test for moderation. Father absence has a robust main effect on all three risky sexual behaviors, such that risky is higher in both father absence groups than in the father present group across models; however, living in a high proportion neighborhood only predicts higher risk for initiating sex before 16 and experiencing/contributing to a pregnancy before age 19. Most importantly, we found a significant interaction, in the negative direction, between late father absence and living in a high proportion neighborhood for initiating sex before 16 and experiencing a teen pregnancy. These results indicate that although teens are most likely to engage in risky sexual activity in a risky reproductive context, father absence only elevates that risk in a low risk environment.