According to a report published in Science Daily, sex between couples who are romantically involved in a relationship does not affect their academics, a research said.
"Compared to abstinence, sexual intercourse in committed romantic relationships is often academically harmless, whereas in other types of relationships it is more detrimental," said Bill McCarthy and Eric Grodsky, sociologists at the University of California-Davis and the University of Minnesota, respectively, in a report by Science Daily. "Females and males who have sex only with romantic partners are generally similar to abstainers on most of the education measures we examined."
The study shows adolescents who are involved in sexual activities but not romantically involved are more likely to lose focus from studies resulting in problems in school, being suspended or expelled, no desire to attend college, less interest in school and lower grades in academics.
"Collectively, our results find that the detrimental outcomes commonly attributed to adolescent sexual intercourse occur mostly in non-romantic contexts," McCarthy and Grodsky said. "These findings raise doubts about the veracity of sexual education programs that link adolescent sex to a plethora of negative outcomes."
Another recent study at The Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine suggests regular hook-ups may also lead to health issues.
"These findings support what we know about the first year of college: That it is a time when we see increases in sexual behavior and substance use, as young people explore who they want to be and how they want to interact with others -- especially romantic partners,"Robyn L. Fielder, MS, a research intern at The Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine, said. "It's important that we gain a better understanding of students' sexual behavior, since it can potentially affect both their physical and mental health as well as their academic success."
