BACKGROUND. Early sexual activity is a significant problem in the United States. A recent survey suggested that most sexually experienced teens wish they had waited longer to have intercourse; other data indicate that unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are more common among those who begin sexual activity earlier. Popular music may contribute to early sex. Music is an integral part of teens' lives. The average youth listens to music 1.5 to 2.5 hours per day. Sexual themes are common in much of this music and range from romantic and playful to degrading and hostile. Although a previous longitudinal study has linked music video consumption and sexual risk behavior, no previous study has tested longitudinal associations between the content of music lyrics and subsequent changes in sexual experience, such as intercourse initiation, nor has any study explored whether exposure to different kinds of portrayals of sex has different effects.
DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS. We conducted a national longitudinal telephone survey of 1461 adolescents. Participants were interviewed at baseline (T1), when they were 12 to 17 years old, and again 1 and 3 years later (T2 and T3). At all of the interviews, participants reported their sexual experience and responded to measures of more than a dozen factors known to be associated with adolescent sexual initiation. A total of 1242 participants reported on their sexual behavior at all 3 time points; a subsample of 938 were identified as virgins before music exposure for certain analyses. Participants also indicated how frequently they listened to each of more than a dozen musical artists representing a variety of musical genres. Data on listening habits were combined with results of an analysis of the sexual content of each artist's songs to create measures of exposure to 2 kinds of sexual content: degrading and nondegrading.
OUTCOME MEASURES. We measured initiation of intercourse and advancement in noncoital sexual activity level over a 2-year period.
RESULTS. Multivariate regression analyses indicated that youth who listened to more degrading sexual content at T2 were more likely to subsequently initiate intercourse and to progress to more advanced levels of noncoital sexual activity, even after controlling for 18 respondent characteristics that might otherwise explain these relationships. In contrast, exposure to nondegrading sexual content was unrelated to changes in participants' sexual behavior.
CONCLUSION. Listening to music with degrading sexual lyrics is related to advances in a range of sexual activities among adolescents, whereas this does not seem to be true of other sexual lyrics. This result is consistent with sexual-script theory and suggests that cultural messages about expected sexual behavior among males and females may underlie the effect. Reducing the amount of degrading sexual content in popular music or reducing young people's exposure to music with this type of content could help delay the onset of sexual behavior.
Comments
No Clear Cause-and-effect
This study in no way can be interpreted definitively to prove the cause-and-effect relationship it suggests. As other responders have pointed out, children who listen to music with degrading lyrics are more likely to be the type who will also engage in sexual relations earlier, period. In my experience, adolescents who dress in black and like to appear mysterious as "Goths," tend to use drugs more than their average peers. Should one conclude that wearing black causes youth to use drugs? The researchers went to great lengths to control different factors that could influence the behaviors being tested, but unless they also controlled who listened to what, they can only suggest a "possible" cause- and-effect relationship. There are many instances of children born of the same parents and with virtually the same environment, yet have vast differences in behavior. This is not to say their inferences cannot be correct, just that they can't be 100% sure of it.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
correlation is not causation
While it is possible that listening to suggestive music prompts interest in sexual experimentation, it may be more likely that kids who are already interested in sex like to listen to suggestive music! Put another way, people planning a trip to Italy will probably buy guide books for Rome and Florence before they begin their journey. Buying the guidebooks did not prompt their trip, their purschase is a byproduct of the decision to travel abroad. The fact that sexually active kids listen to music with a sexual content should not be surprising. Did we expect that they listened to Mozart's Requiem and Handel's Messiah?
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
Globe and Mail Readers take issue with "sloppy science"
It is interesting to note that the newspaper article in the Globe and Mail, Online edition for Monday, August 7, 2006, reporting on this piece generated 59 reader comments. ( http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/ RTGAM.20060807.wsexy0807/CommentStory/specialScienceandHealth/ )
Notably a large number of readers took exception to the "sloppy science" represented by this article and perceived the approach taken by the authors to be narrowly-focused and tainted by a hidden agenda. It seems the authors attempted to be prudent by liberal use of "may" or "may be" but this does not excuse the lack of discussion regarding possible confounding factors such as: parental influences, previous exposure to sex education, levels of self- esteem, socio-economic factors, and the highly sexualized advertising and marketing tactics we are exposed to daily, to name but a few. (For further discussion on the latter see : "It's a Porn World After All - Commercial concupiscence consumes global culture" by Charles Foran, Walrus Magazine March 2006: http://www.walrusmagazine.com/article.pl? sid=06/02/23/0556219 ) One commentator was dismayed that the Globe would print such a poorly researched story, that a reputable journal would never let it pass muster, missing the fact that Pediatrics was already committed to publishing the article.
Correlation does not equal causation. Particularly in the realms of human behaviour such simplistic analyses as presented in this article are not good science and are likely do more harm than good to the understanding of teen behaviour and sexuality.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
Correlation is not cause
Had the researchers randomly allocated explicit or non-explicit music to the subjects, the conclusion might be justified. But the teenagers chose their own music. An equally valid conclusion is that teenagers who are likely to start sex early also tend to choose sexually explicit music.
Conflict of Interest:
None declared
Both data are incidental
The study throws up interesting data about the sexual behaviour among the current breed of youngsters in the United States. The attitude of the youth may not be much different in the developing countries.
Everyone agrees that sexually explicit lyrics do no good to the adolescent mind and instead they could stimulate promiscuous sexual behaviour. There is a definite need to control the amount of degrading sexual content in the print as well as the electronic media so as to prevent its deleterious effects on the adolescent children.
However, such statistical studies sometimes convey a wrong impression. The study simply strings together two groups of data and tries to arrive at a conclusion.
This study is akin to the study conducted a few decades ago which established a statistical correlation in the aviation industry. It was shown that 82% of the aviation accidents occur while the flight is about to take off or while landing. According to the study the number of mishaps, while the aircraft was cruising in the sky, was miniscule. So, were we to conclude that the only way of minimising such crashes is to always avoid take offs and landings?
While undertaking a scientific study the authors ought to have a broad view of the likely end result and its impact on human lives or it will be left for just coffee-table consumption!
Conflict of Interest:
None declared