Nolan, Anne; Smy h, Eme
Resea ch Repo
Talking abou sex and sexual beha iou o young people in
I eland
Resea ch Se ies, No. 112
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
The Economic and Social Resea ch Ins i u e (ESRI), Dublin
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Nolan, Anne; Smy h, Eme (2020) : Talking abou sex and sexual beha iou o
young people in I eland, Resea ch Se ies, No. 112, ISBN 978-0-7070-0540-9, The Economic and
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TALKING ABOUT SEX AND SEXUAL
BEHAVIOUR OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN IRELAND
ANNE NOLAN AND EMER SMYTH
RESEARCH
SERIES
NUMBER 112
No embe 2020
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TALKING ABOUT SEX AND SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR
OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN IRELAND
Anne Nolan
Eme Smy h
No embe 2020
RESEARCH SERIES
NUMBER 112
A ailable o download om www.es i.ie
 The Economic and Social Resea ch Ins i u e
Whi ake Squa e, Si John Roge son’s Quay, Dublin 2
ISBN 978-0-7070-0540-9
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.26504/ s112
This Open Access wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional License
(h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/), which pe mi s un es ic ed use, dis ibu ion, and
ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is p ope ly c edi ed.
No e - Mino co ec ion made o he i s pa ag aph on page 8, ollowing ini ial publica ion.
Tex now eads "4-9 yea s o age".
ABOUT THE ESRI
The mission o he Economic and Social Resea ch Ins i u e is o ad ance e idence-
based policymaking ha suppo s economic sus ainabili y and social p og ess in
I eland. ESRI esea che s apply he highes s anda ds o academic excellence o
challenges acing policymake s, ocusing on 12 a eas o c i ical impo ance o 21s
cen u y I eland.
The Ins i u e was ounded in 1960 by a g oup o senio ci il se an s led by
D T.K. Whi ake , who iden i ied he need o independen and in-dep h esea ch
analysis o p o ide a obus e idence base o policymaking in I eland.
Since hen, he Ins i u e has emained commi ed o independen esea ch and i s
wo k is ee o any exp essed ideology o poli ical posi ion. The Ins i u e publishes
all esea ch eaching he app op ia e academic s anda d, i espec i e o i s
indings o who unds he esea ch.
The quali y o i s esea ch ou pu is gua an eed by a igo ous pee e iew p ocess.
ESRI esea che s a e expe s in hei ields and a e commi ed o p oducing wo k
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The wo k o he Ins i u e is dissemina ed widely in books, jou nal a icles and
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con e ences and semina s.
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go e ned by a Council, comp ising 14 membe s who ep esen a c oss-sec ion o
ESRI membe s om academia, ci il se ices, s a e agencies, businesses and ci il
socie y. The Ins i u e ecei es an annual g an -in-aid om he Depa men o
Public Expendi u e and Re o m o suppo he scien i ic and public in e es
elemen s o he Ins i u e’s ac i i ies; he g an accoun ed o an a e age o 30 pe
cen o he Ins i u e’s income o e he li e ime o he las Resea ch S a egy. The
emaining unding comes om esea ch p og ammes suppo ed by go e nmen
depa men s and agencies, public bodies and compe i i e esea ch p og ammes.
Fu he in o ma ion is a ailable a www.es i.ie
THE AUTHORS
Anne Nolan is an Associa e Resea ch P o esso a he ESRI, and Adjunc P o esso
a T ini y College Dublin (TCD). Eme Smy h is a Resea ch P o esso a he ESRI,
and Adjunc P o esso a TCD.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The esea ch was unded by he Heal h Se ice Execu i e (HSE) Heal h and
Wellbeing Di ision unde a Resea ch P og amme on ‘Heal h and Wellbeing in
Childhood and Adolescence’. The au ho s hank he Cen al S a is ics O ice (CSO)
o access o G owing Up in I eland (GUI) da a, and he membe s o he Resea ch
P og amme S ee ing Commi ee o help ul commen s and guidance h oughou
he esea ch p ocess. The epo also bene i ed conside ably om commen s
ecei ed om h ee e iewe s.
GUI has been unded by he Go e nmen o I eland h ough he Depa men o
Child en and You h A ai s (DCYA) in associa ion wi h he CSO. These da a ha e
been collec ed in acco dance wi h he S a is ics Ac , 1993. The DCYA and CSO ake
no esponsibili y o he iews exp essed o he ou pu s gene a ed om he
esea ch unde aken on he GUI da a.
This epo has been accep ed o publica ion by he Ins i u e, which does no i sel ake ins i u ional
policy posi ions. All ESRI Resea ch Se ies epo s a e pee e iewed p io o publica ion. The au ho s
a e solely esponsible o he con en and he iews exp essed.

CONTENTS
Execu i e Summa y .................................................................................................................................. i
Chap e 1: In oduc ion .......................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Backg ound ......................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Social con ex ..................................................................................................................... 3
1.3 P e ious li e a u e .............................................................................................................. 4
1.3.1 Exis ing I ish e idence on young people’s sexual beha iou .......................................... 5
1.3.2 In e na ional e idence on sexual beha iou ................................................................... 8
1.3.3 Schools, sex educa ion and young people’s sexual beha iou ..................................... 11
1.3 Summa y........................................................................................................................... 14
Chap e 2: Da a and me hods ............................................................................................................... 15
2.1 Da a .................................................................................................................................. 15
2.1.1 Sexual heal h beha iou s ................................................................................................. 15
2.1.2 Independen a iables: young people and hei amilies................................................. 18
2.1.3 Independen a iables: school cha ac e is ics ................................................................. 20
2.2 Me hods ........................................................................................................................... 20
Chap e 3: In o ma ion on ela ionships and sex ................................................................................. 23
3.1 In oduc ion ...................................................................................................................... 23
3.2 Rela ionships and sexuali y educa ion a school.............................................................. 23
3.3 Discussions wi h pa en s .................................................................................................. 27
3.4 Ease o discussions abou sex and ela ionship issues ..................................................... 30
3.5 Pa en al epo s o discussions abou sex and ela ionship issues .................................. 32
3.5 Sou ce o in o ma ion abou sex and ela ionship issues ................................................ 34
3.6 Summa y........................................................................................................................... 37
Chap e 4: Sexual compe ence and sexual heal h beha iou s ............................................................. 39
4.1 In oduc ion ...................................................................................................................... 39
4.2 Sexual ac i i y ................................................................................................................... 39
4.3 Sexual compe ence a i s sex ......................................................................................... 42
4.4 Cu en sexual heal h beha iou s .................................................................................... 45
4.5 Summa y........................................................................................................................... 46
Chap e 5: Discussion and policy implica ions ...................................................................................... 49
5.1 Summa y........................................................................................................................... 49
5.1.1 Sou ces o in o ma ion on sex .......................................................................................... 49
5.1.2 Sexual beha iou .............................................................................................................. 50
5.2 S eng hs and limi a ions ................................................................................................. 52
5.3 Discussion and policy implica ions ................................................................................... 53
5.3.1 Compa a i e indings........................................................................................................ 53
5.3.2 Policy implica ions ............................................................................................................ 54
Appendix ............................................................................................................................................... 59
Re e ences ............................................................................................................................................ 87
LIST OF FIGURES
Figu e 3.1 P opo ion who had ecei ed school-based RSE by school s age ................................... 24
Figu e 3.2 P opo ion who had ecei ed school-based RSE by sex .................................................. 24
Figu e 3.3 RSE a ages 13 and 17 by sex ........................................................................................... 26
Figu e 3.4 Discussed sex/ ela ionship issues wi h pa en s .............................................................. 27
Figu e 3.5 Discussions wi h pa en s a ages 13 and 17 by sex ......................................................... 28
Figu e 3.6 RSE a school and discussions wi h pa en s a ages 13 and 17 by sex ............................ 30
Figu e 3.7 Ease o alking openly abou sex wi h mo he and a he .............................................. 31
Figu e 3.8 Ease o alking openly abou sex wi h mo he and a he by sex ................................... 31
Figu e 3.9 Ma e nal discussions wi h young pe son a ages 13 and 17 ........................................... 33
Figu e 3.10 Pa e nal discussions wi h young pe son a ages 13 and 17 ............................................ 33
Figu e 3.11 Sou ce o mos in o ma ion on sex/ ela ionship issues.................................................. 35
Figu e 3.12 Sou ce o in o ma ion on sex/ ela ionship issues by sex ................................................ 36
Figu e 4.1 P e alence o sexual in e cou se by age, sex and school s age ...................................... 40
Figu e 4.2 P e alence o con acep i e use a i s sex by age, sex and school s age ..................... 43
Figu e 4.3 P e alence o iming eg e a i s sex by age, sex and school s age ............................. 44
Figu e 4.4 P e alence o condom use by age, sex and school s age ................................................ 45
Figu e 4.5 P e alence o always using con acep ion by age, sex and school s age ........................ 46
i | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
Ra es o con acep i e use a i s sex a e high, hough a 90 pe cen no uni e sal.
The e appea s o be a lowe le el o usage o subsequen sexual expe iences, wi h
less han ou - i hs always using con acep ion and much ewe (56 pe cen )
always using a condom. The indings he e o e sugges he necessi y o a mul i-
p onged app oach in ol ing school-based RSE, pa en al suppo and public heal h
campaigns o suppo sa e sex p ac ices among young people.

In oduc ion | 1
CHAPTER 1
In oduc ion
1.1 BACKGROUND
Sexual ac i i y is an impo an componen o physical and men al heal h and
wellbeing. The Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion (WHO) de ines sexual heal h as ‘a s a e
o physical, men al and social well-being in ela ion o sexuali y. I equi es a
posi i e and espec ul app oach o sexuali y and sexual ela ionships, as well as
he possibili y o ha ing pleasu able and sa e sexual expe iences, ee o coe cion,
disc imina ion and iolence’ (WHO, 2006). This de ini ion has been adop ed by he
I ish go e nmen in i s cu en Na ional Sexual Heal h S a egy (Depa men o
Heal h, 2015b).
No ms, beha iou s and p ac ices wi h ega d o sexual ac i i y begin o be
es ablished du ing adolescence. The de elopmen o posi i e sexual heal h
beha iou s lays he ounda ion o heal hy ela ionships h oughou he li e
cou se.1 Risky sexual beha iou s a e associa ed wi h o he isky heal h beha iou s
(de Looze e al., 2014; Hale and Vine , 2012; Jackson e al., 2012b), which can lead
o poo e heal h ou comes in la e li e. People younge han 25 yea s o age a e a
highes isk o ad e se sexual heal h ou comes, such as sexually ansmi ed
in ec ions (STIs) and unplanned p egnancies (Me ce e al., 2013). Da a on STI
no i ica ions among 15–24-yea -olds in I eland show inc easing incidence (HSE
Heal h P o ec ion Su eillance Cen e, 2019). In addi ion, young people aged 15–
24 accoun o a disp opo iona e numbe o cases: 49 pe cen o chlamydia cases,
39 pe cen o he pes simplex cases and 32 pe cen o gono hoea cases (HSE
Heal h P o ec ion Su eillance Cen e, 2019).
The Na ional Sexual Heal h S a egy 2015–2020 is he s a egic amewo k o he
sexual heal h and wellbeing o he I ish popula ion and was launched in Oc obe
2015 (Depa men o Heal h, 2015b). The s a egy adop s a li e cou se app oach o
sexual heal h which acknowledges he impo ance o de eloping heal hy sexuali y
h oughou childhood and adolescence and builds on ha ounda ion o posi i e
sexual heal h and wellbeing in o adul hood and olde age. In addi ion, one o he
co e aims o he na ional s a egy o child en and young people, Be e Ou comes,
B igh e Fu u es, is o ensu e a posi i e and espec ul app oach o ela ionships
and sexual heal h (Depa men o Child en and You h A ai s, 2014).
1The li e cou se app oach ecognises ha expe iences in ea lie li e shape adul heal h and wellbeing. I ocuses on he
impo ance o a heal hy s a o li e and a ge s he needs o people a c i ical pe iods h oughou hei li e ime
(h ps://www.eu o.who.in /en/heal h- opics/Li e-s ages).
2 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
One o he h ee key goals o he Na ional Sexual Heal h S a egy is o ensu e ha
e e yone has access o app op ia e sexual heal h educa ion and in o ma ion.2 In
e ms o he p o ision o Rela ionship and Sexuali y Educa ion (RSE) o child en
and young people, he s a egy ecognises he ole o pa en s, schools and he ou -
o -school en i onmen in impac ing he subsequen beha iou o young people
and encou aging la e sexual ini ia ion, highe p e alence o p o ec i e beha iou s
and g ea e con idence in nego ia ing sexual ela ionships. In schools, he RSE
p og amme has been a equi ed componen o he cu iculum a p ima y and
second le els since 1995/1996, and in 2003 was in eg a ed in o he b oade Social,
Pe sonal and Heal h Educa ion (SPHE) p og amme (Depa men o Heal h, 2015b).
Unde he cu en RSE p og amme, schools and educa ional s akeholde s,
including pa en s, ha e a majo ole in de e mining he app oach aken wi hin
schools (Young e al., 2018). A majo e iew o RSE in p ima y and second-le el
schools was unde aken om June 2018 o Ma ch 2019. Consul a ions wi h key
s akeholde s (s uden s, pa en s, eache s, p incipals) e ealed a numbe o key
poin s. S uden s said hei lea ning in RSE was oo li le, oo la e and no ele an
o hei needs, while all s akeholde s said ha RSE needed o be mo e han
in o ma ion abou biological aspec s o g owing up and sexual ac i i y. I was no ed
ha a holis ic app oach, ha balances discussion abou he isks and dange s
associa ed wi h ela ionships and sexual ac i i y wi h discussion abou he posi i e,
heal hy and enjoyable aspec s o ela ionships, needed o be de eloped (Na ional
Council o Cu iculum and Assessmen , 2019).
In his con ex , an analysis o he ole o RSE in p omo ing posi i e sexual heal h
beha iou s is imely. In his epo , we ocus on he ole o RSE in schools (and
discussions a ound sex and ela ionships wi h pa en s) in de eloping sexual
compe ence and posi i e sexual heal h beha iou s among adolescen s. The
concep o ‘sexual compe ence’ has been de eloped o conside he b oade
con ex ual a ibu es o i s sexual in e cou se (willingness, iming eg e , use o
con acep ion, e c.), a he han simply age o occu ence (Palme e al., 2019).
Two key se s o esea ch ques ions a e add essed in his s udy:
 Wha a e he expe iences o young people in ela ion o RSE? Does i a y by
school ype? Whe e do young people sou ce mos o hei in o ma ion on sex
and ela ionship issues? Wha is he ole o pa en al discussions?
 How does sexual compe ence a sexual ini ia ion a y ac oss he young adul
popula ion? Fo hose who a e cu en ly sexually ac i e, how do sexual heal h
2 The o he wo a e o ensu e ha ha high-quali y sexual heal h se ices a e a ailable and a o dable, and o ensu e
ha good-quali y da a a e a ailable o guide he se ice.
In oduc ion | 3
beha iou s a y ac oss he young adul popula ion? Does RSE a school and
om o he sou ces impac sexual compe ency and sexual heal h beha iou s?
Among he 17-yea -olds, 88 pe cen iden i ied as ‘he e osexual/s aigh ’, 5 pe
cen as ‘bisexual’ and a li le o e 2 pe cen as ‘gay/lesbian’, wi h he emainde
unsu e o p e e ing no o say. Because o he small numbe s in ol ed in he non-
he e osexual g oups, he analyses canno examine po en ial di e ences in sexual
compe ence and beha iou by sexual o ien a ion. Thus, he in o ma ion p esen ed
in he emainde o he epo ela es o all young people, ega dless o sexual
o ien a ion.
The epo is s uc u ed as ollows. In he emainde o his chap e , we su ey he
ecen li e a u e, bo h I ish and in e na ional, ha has ocused on how young
people ecei e in o ma ion on sex and ela ionships, sexual compe ency and
sexual heal h beha iou s. Chap e 2 in oduces he da a, om he G owing Up in
I eland (GUI) s udy, he key a iables examined and he me hods used. Chap e 3
examines how young people ecei e in o ma ion on sex and ela ionships, ocusing
on school-based RSE, discussions wi h pa en s and main sou ces o in o ma ion on
sex. Chap e 4 ocuses on sexual compe ency and sexual heal h beha iou s.
Chap e 5 summa ises and discusses he policy implica ions a ising om he
esea ch.
1.2 SOCIAL CONTEXT
Be o e su eying he ele an li e a u e on he issues examined in his epo , i is
wo h e lec ing on he b oade social con ex ha has shaped sexual a i udes and
beha iou s in I eland o e ime. The la e pa o he 20 h cen u y was
cha ac e ised by signi ican change in I ish a i udes owa ds sexual issues. Fahey
e al. (2007) no e ha o much o he 20 h cen u y, Ca holic mo al eaching was
he dominan amewo k h ough which mos I ish people lea n abou and
expe ienced sex. Beginning in he 1960s, his dominan amewo k was la gely
eplaced by a secula mo al amewo k based on indi idual esponsibili y. Majo
changes in legisla ion in ela ion o a i icial con acep ion (1993), di o ce (1996),
same-sex ma iage (2015) and abo ion (2018) e lec ed hese changing a i udes.
Lay e e al. (2006) no e ha he ise in non-ma i al e ili y is a good indica o o
changes in sexual a i udes and beha iou s ha I eland has expe ienced since he
1960s. In he 1960s, he p opo ion o bi hs ou side ma iage a e aged jus o e
2 pe cen . The p opo ion inc eased s eadily du ing he nex decades (accoun ing
o jus unde a qua e o bi hs in he 1990s), and by 2017 was 38 pe cen (jus

4 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
unde he EU a e age o 42 pe cen ).3 I ish a i udes in ela ion o sexual issues
a e now b oadly compa able wi h o he wes e n Eu opean coun ies on a numbe
o dimensions, including a i udes owa ds homosexuali y ( an den Akke e al.,
2013) and LGTBI igh s (Eu opean Commission, 2019).
While sexual a i udes and beha iou s may be con e ging owa ds wes e n
Eu opean libe al no ms, he issue o consen has ecen ly become a policy ocus
bo h in I eland and elsewhe e. In 2016, a special Eu oba ome e su ey
in es iga ed a i udes owa ds gende -based iolence ac oss he EU. Responden s
we e asked whe he ha ing sexual in e cou se wi hou consen was jus i ied in
nine di e en ci cums ances. O e all, 27 pe cen o EU adul s, and 21 pe cen o
I ish adul s, ag eed ha sex wi hou consen was jus i ied o a leas one o he
nine easons (Eu opean Commission, 2017).4 Focusing speci ically on younge
people, he 2018 My Wo ld su ey in I eland ound ha 47 pe cen o young adul s
(18-25 yea s) epo ed ha hey had been ouched agains hei will o wi hou
hei consen and 20 pe cen said hey had been o ced o p essu ed o ha e sex.
Females (56 pe cen ) we e much mo e likely han males (23 pe cen ) o epo
ha hey had been ouched agains hei will o wi hou hei consen . They we e
also mo e likely o epo ha hey had been o ced o p essu ed o ha e sex (25
pe cen o emales, 10 pe cen o males) (Dooley e al., 2019).
1.3 PREVIOUS LITERATURE
The e is an ex ensi e li e a u e on a ious aspec s o sexual ac i i y, beha iou and
iden i y among young adul s. A majo a ea o ocus conce ns ea ly ini ia ion o
sexual ac i i y (Lewis e al., 2017; Me ce e al., 2013), gi en he esea ch ha
sugges s ha ea lie age o in e cou se is s ongly associa ed wi h lowe ed
compe ence a i s in e cou se, as e idenced by less willingness and planning and
less use o con acep ion and p o ec ion (Wellings e al., 2001). This esul s in a
highe isk o poo ou comes such as unplanned p egnancy, ea ly child-bea ing,
highe a es o STIs, lowe sexual unc ion and expe ience o non- oli ional sex, all
o which can ha e long-las ing e ec s on heal h and wellbeing (Lay e e al., 2006;
Palme e al., 2019). Howe e , as GUI does no collec in o ma ion on he age o
ini ia ion o sexual ac i i y, we ocus he e on how young people ecei e
in o ma ion on sex and ela ionships, sexual compe ency and sexual heal h
beha iou s. Be o e su eying he li e a u e on hese issues, howe e , i is wo h
3 See Table 2.23 in h ps://www.cso.ie/en/ eleasesandpublica ions/ep/p-
sa / i als a is icsannual epo 2017/bi hs2017/. In 2017, he EU-27 a e age was 42 pe cen
h ps://ec.eu opa.eu/eu os a /s a is ics-explained/index.php? i le=Ma iage_and_di o ce_s a is ics.
4 Ac oss he EU, a leas one in en esponden s hough ha in e cou se wi hou consen was jus i ied i he pe son was
d unk o using d ugs (12 pe cen ), olun a ily wen home wi h someone (11 pe cen ), wo e e ealing, p o oca i e o
sexy clo hing, o did no clea ly say no o physically igh back (bo h 10 pe cen ). The co esponding igu es o I eland
we e 11 pe cen , 9 pe cen , 9 pe cen and 8 pe cen .
In oduc ion | 5
b ie ly ou lining he scope o exis ing esea ch on he I ish popula ion, and he
adolescen popula ion in pa icula .
1.3.1 Exis ing I ish e idence on young people’s sexual beha iou
The mos comp ehensi e na ionally ep esen a i e s udy o he 18–64 adul
popula ion, he I ish S udy o Sexual Heal h and Rela ionships (ISSHR), was ca ied
ou in 2004 (Lay e e al., 2006). In e ms o sex educa ion, he e was a clea coho
e ec ; 88 pe cen o men and 93 pe cen o women aged 18–24 had ecei ed
some o m o sex educa ion, in compa ison wi h 12 pe cen o men and 19 pe
cen o women aged 55–64. Fo all age g oups, sex educa ion in school was he
mos common sou ce.5 Fo men aged 18–24, jus 21 pe cen had ecei ed sex
educa ion in he home, al hough he p opo ion among women was highe (38 pe
cen ). Those om highe social class and educa ional g oups we e mo e likely o
ha e ecei ed sex educa ion, and he di e en ial was la gely explained by lowe
le els o sex educa ion a home o hose wi h a lowe educa ion and/o social
class. Those om mo e disad an aged social g oups also held less libe al a i udes
owa ds sex, which may ha e inhibi ed hei willingness o gi e, o hei com o in
gi ing, sex educa ion. The esea ch iden i ied wo ying le els o knowledge abou
sex; o example, among women, 56 pe cen o unde -25s could no co ec ly
iden i y a woman’s mos e ile pe iod.
Focusing on aspec s o sexual compe ency a i s sexual in e cou se,
app oxima ely 90 pe cen o men and women aged 18–24 had used
con acep ion.6 In e ms o eg e , women we e mo e likely o exp ess eg e o e
he iming han men, and he e was a clea age end among bo h men and women.
Younge age g oups we e signi ican ly mo e likely o say hey ‘should ha e wai ed
longe ’. In a subsequen s a is ical analysis o eg e , Lay e and McGee (2007)
ound ha wi hin all age g oups and o bo h sexes, ha ing sex be o e age 17 was
associa ed wi h a highe likelihood o subsequen eg e . Men and women ha ing
sex be o e age 17 we e 2.9 and 3.6 imes mo e likely, espec i ely, o belie e ha
hey should ha e wai ed longe . Women who had ea ly in e cou se we e 1.8 imes
mo e likely han men who had ea ly in e cou se o eel ha hey should ha e
wai ed longe . Howe e , eg e a e ea ly sexual ini ia ion was no uni e sal and
while young age pe se con ibu ed o highe le els o eg e , i was no solely
esponsible. Reg ession analysis showed ha less planning, lowe au onomy, a less
s able ela ionship wi h hei pa ne and a sho e subsequen ela ionship wi h
hei i s pa ne all con ibu ed o highe subsequen eg e i espec i e o age o
i s in e cou se.
5 Responden s we e asked o choose he sou ces om which hey ecei ed sex educa ion: home, school o o he .
6 22 pe cen o hose aged 18–24 had sex be o e he age o 17.
6 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
Focusing on sexual heal h beha iou s among hose who we e sexually ac i e, he
ISSHR s udy showed ha 93 pe cen o men and 94 pe cen o women aged 18-
24 (no in ending o concei e) used con acep ion a he las e en . Condoms we e
he mos popula me hod; 82 pe cen o men and 74 pe cen o women aged 18
o 24 used a condom on he mos ecen occasion (Lay e e al., 2006).
Following on om he ISSHR, he 2010 I ish Con acep ion and C isis P egnancy
(ICCP) su ey7 (which su eyed o e 3000 indi iduals aged 18–45) showed ha
ewe pa en s su eyed in 2010 had alked o hei child en abou sex and ela ed
opics (70 pe cen ) compa ed wi h 2003 (82 pe cen ) (McB ide e al., 2012; Rundle
e al., 2004). In 2010, mo e adul s aged 18 o 25 had ecei ed sex educa ion (86
pe cen ) compa ed wi h adul s aged 36 o 45 (57 pe cen ). Younge people we e
mo e likely o use con acep ion on he occasion o i s sexual in e cou se: 89 pe
cen o 18 o 25 yea olds and 80 pe cen o 26 o 35 yea olds epo ed using
con acep ion he i s ime hey had sexual in e cou se, compa ed wi h 61 pe
cen o 36 o 45 yea olds. Howe e , speci ic g oups o people we e iden i ied as
being ‘a isk’ o no using con acep ion a i s sexual in e cou se. These included
men, indi iduals wi h a p e-Lea ing Ce i ica e educa ion, hose in he lowe social
classes and hose who had sex o he i s ime be o e he age o 17. Inconsis ency
in con acep i e use was s ongly ela ed o he ype o ela ionship ha he
pe son had wi h hei pa ne . Sex in casual ela ionships o ecen ly o med
ela ionships was a mo e likely o occu wi hou p o ec ion, la gely because
esponden s we e no p epa ed, sex was unexpec ed o he indi idual had been
d inking o aking d ugs.8 A ound 10 pe cen o esponden s o he ICCP su ey did
no use con acep ion when hey las had in e cou se.
O he su eys ha ha e cap u ed elemen s o sexual heal h and beha iou s, albei
no ocused on sexual heal h and/o he young adul popula ion, include he 1998
and 2002 Su ey o Li es yles, A i udes and Nu i ion (SLÁN) and he annual
Heal hy I eland su eys. SLÁN asked all sexually ac i e esponden s aged unde 50
a ques ion abou equency o con acep i e use o e he pas yea and wha kinds
o con acep ion hey used o e he pas yea (Shiely e al., 2004). Ac oss he wo
su eys, 94 pe cen o hose aged 20–24 always/some imes used con acep ion.
The annual Heal hy I eland su ey o he adul popula ion (aged 16+) ielded a
sepa a e module on sexual heal h in he 2015, 2016 and 2017 su eys (i was
d opped in wa e 4, 2018) (Depa men o Heal h, 2015a, 2016, 2017, 2018).9 In
2015, 24 pe cen o he adul popula ion had used a condom he las ime hey
had sex, bu 47 pe cen had no used any o m o con acep ion he las ime hey
7 An ea lie ICCP s udy, ca ied ou in 2003, was designed o es ablish baseline measu es o c isis p egnancy p e alence
in addi ion o a b oad ange o sexual heal h indica o s ela ed o c isis p egnancy (McB ide e al., 2012).
8 Howe e , he p opo ion o people a ibu ing hei non-use o con acep ion o alcohol and d ugs had dec eased o e
he se en-yea pe iod.
9 By wa e 3 (2017), he ocus was on HIV/STI es ing: 11 pe cen o 17–24-yea -olds had a HIV es in he p e ious yea ,
and 13 pe cen had an STI es (Depa men o Heal h, 2017).
In oduc ion | 7
had sex ( his had declined o 45 pe cen by 2016). O hose aged 17–24, howe e ,
jus 7 pe cen o men and 8 pe cen o women had used no o m o con acep ion
a las sex (bu his p opo ion had inc eased o 11 pe cen by 2016).
Focusing speci ically on adolescen s, he Heal h Beha iou in School-Aged Child en
(HBSC) s udy ga he ed da a on sexual ini ia ion and beha iou s among 15–17-yea -
olds in 2010, 2014 and 2018. The HBSC s udy is a WHO c oss-na ional esea ch
p ojec (co e ing 43 coun ies) ha aims o inc ease he unde s anding o young
people’s heal h, wellbeing and beha iou s, including sexual beha iou s (Young e
al., 2018). Young e al. (2018) examined sexual in e cou se, age o ini ia ion and
con acep ion use among a sample o nea ly 4500 I ish adolescen s aged 15–18
yea s om he 2010 HBSC s udy. O e a qua e o boys and a i h o gi ls had had
sexual in e cou se.10 Olde age was p edic i e o sexual ini ia ion o bo h boys and
gi ls, as we e alcohol, obacco and cannabis in ol emen , li ing in poo e
neighbou hoods and ha ing good communica ion wi h iends. In ol emen in
music and d ama was p o ec i e. Household social class and le el o a luence we e
no associa ed wi h sexual ini ia ion a e hese o he ac o s we e aken in o
accoun . The au ho s also examined ea ly ini ia ion (be o e 14 yea s o age), wi h
adolescen s li ing in u al a eas mo e likely o epo ini ia ion. Bu ke e al. (2018)
used da a om he 2014 wa e o he HBSC s udy o examine he p edic o s o age
o sexual ini ia ion, ocusing on he 15–17-yea -olds who epo ed e e ha ing sex
(22 pe cen o all 15–17 yea olds o e all). They ound ha sociodemog aphic,
li es yle and beha iou al ac o s we e s onge p edic o s o age o sexual ini ia ion
among sexually ac i e gi ls han boys. Toge he he p edic o s conside ed
accoun ed o 23 pe cen o a ia ion in age o sexual ini ia ion o sexually ac i e
gi ls and 11 pe cen o he a ia ion o boys.
Condom use a las in e cou se was epo ed by 80 pe cen o he 2010 sample
(Young e al., 2018). Boys’ condom use was associa ed wi h olde age, highe amily
a luence, bullying o he s, mo e equen physical ac i i y and heal h-p o ec i e
beha iou s. Fo gi ls, condom use was p edic ed by belonging o a non-T a elle
communi y, heal hy ood consump ion, highe quali y o li e and being bullied,
whe eas aking medica ion o physical and psychological symp oms was
associa ed wi h non-use o condoms.
A numbe o de ailed quali a i e s udies o pa en s in I eland p o ide use ul
in o ma ion on he ac o s ha inhibi and enable age-app op ia e communica ion
be ween pa en s and child en/adolescen s ega ding he body, ela ionships,
sexuali y and g owing up (Hyde e al., 2009; Conlon, 2018). Hyde e al. (2009)
examined how a sample o 43 pa en s communica ed on he opic o ela ionships
10 In 2018, he p opo ions epo ing sexual in e cou se we e simila : 28 pe cen o 15–17-yea -old boys, and 20 pe cen
o 15–17-yea -old gi ls (Köl ő e al., 2020).
14 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
men ion he need o discuss isk, pa icula ly STIs (NCCA, 2019a). Mos pa en s
indica ed ha hey would p e e mo e communica ion om schools as o wha
hei child was lea ning in RSE. The NCCA e iew highligh ed conside able a ia ion
ac oss schools in e ms o he con en and iming o RSE, wi h he dominan ocus
on isks a he han posi i e aspec s o sexual ela ionships. The e iew highligh ed
he impo ance o p o ision being s uden -cen ed, holis ic, inclusi e,
age/de elopmen ally app op ia e and based on a whole-school app oach. I
indica ed he need o c ea e an in eg a ed cu iculum o SPHE/RSE as one subjec
and o e iew he con en o , and ime alloca ed o, his domain. School leade ship
and eache p o essional de elopmen we e highligh ed as c ucial ing edien s in
he success ul implemen a ion o RSE.
The RSE e iew means ha his s udy is imely in p o iding in o ma ion on sou ces
o in o ma ion abou sex and sexual beha iou among 17-yea -olds and ela ing
hese pa e ns o a ange o indi idual, amily, pee and school cha ac e is ics. The
da a used and a iables analysed a e discussed in de ail in Chap e 2.
1.3 SUMMARY
This chap e has p o ided an o e iew o exis ing in e na ional and I ish esea ch
on sou ces o in o ma ion and le els o sexual ac i i y among young people. The
s udy indings poin o impo an di e ences by gende and amily backg ound
ac o s in pa e ns o sexual ini ia ion and adop ion o sa e sex p ac ices. Resea ch
indings di e on whe he school-based in o ma ion has a di ec impac on young
people’s sexual beha iou bu none heless school eme ges as an impo an a ena
o ensu ing access o in o ma ion o all young people. This s udy seeks o build
on exis ing esea ch by looking a he in luences o amily, school and pee s on
bo h sou ces o in o ma ion and sexual beha iou . Gi en he ecen e iew o
school-based sex educa ion and inc eased policy ecogni ion o he impo ance o
p og ammes on sexual consen , his s udy is imely as an e idence base o u u e
policy de elopmen .

Da a and me hods | 15
CHAPTER 2
Da a and me hods
2.1 DATA
G owing Up in I eland (GUI), he Na ional Longi udinal S udy o Child en in I eland,
su eys wo coho s o child en and young people. The ‘08 Coho (p e iously
known as he In an Coho ) con ains in o ma ion on 11,134 nine-mon h-old
child en and hei amilies who we e i s su eyed be ween Sep embe 2008 and
Ap il 2009 (Quail e al., 2011). The ‘98 Coho (p e iously known as he Child
Coho ) ep esen s 8568 child en and hei amilies i s su eyed be ween Augus
2007 and May 2008 when he child en we e nine yea s o age (Tho n on e al.,
2011). The sampling ame was he p ima y school sys em. Da a om he ‘98
Coho a e used in his epo . The second wa e o da a collec ion o he ‘98
Coho was ca ied ou be ween Augus 2011 and Ma ch 2012 (when he young
people we e app oxima ely 13 yea s o age); wa e 3 was ca ied ou be ween Ap il
2015 and Augus 2016 (when he young people we e app oxima ely 17/18 yea s16
o age) (Mu phy e al. 2018).
Da a we e collec ed p ima ily ia compu e -aided pe sonal in e iew (CAPI) wi h
he p ima y ca egi e (PCG) (who in mos cases was he young pe son’s mo he ),
al hough as he young pe son aged in o adolescence, mo e o he in o ma ion was
collec ed om he young pe son, on ei he a CAPI o a sel -comple ion basis.
Sensi i e sel -comple ion ques ionnai es we e also conduc ed wi h pa en s and
young people in all wa es. In his epo we concen a e on young people who
we e no wins o iple s and who we e obse ed a all h ee wa es (ages 9, 13
and 17). This esul s in a sample size o 5854 (al hough he analyses in Chap e 4
ocus on he subsample who ha e had sexual in e cou se, i.e. 1792 indi iduals).
A wa e 1, he eache and p incipal we e also su eyed, while a ages 13 and 17
(i he young pe son was s ill in school), he p incipal was also su eyed. These
ques ionnai es p o ide ich in o ma ion on he ype o school a ended (including
size, gende mix and social mix).
2.1.1 Sexual heal h beha iou s
A age 17, GUI included a de ailed module on sexual heal h beha iou s in he
sensi i e sel -comple ion ques ionnai e. Ques ions co e ed opics such as
ela ionships and sexuali y educa ion (bo h in school and in e ms o discussions
16 Fo simplici y, hese young people a e e e ed o as 17-yea -olds h oughou he emainde o he epo .
16 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
wi h pa en s17); sexual o ien a ion and gende iden i y; cu en
boy iends/gi l iends; sexual ac i i ies; and p essu e o ha e sex. Those who
epo ed ha hey had engaged in sexual in e cou se we e asked a u he se o
ques ions abou he na u e o hei i s sexual expe ience (na u e o ela ionship,
con acep i e use, iming eg e ) and ques ions abou hei cu en sexual
beha iou s (con acep i e and condom use, decision-making abou con acep i e
use). A age 13, young people we e asked a subse o hese ques ions, ocusing
mainly on Rela ionships and Sexuali y Educa ion (RSE) eceip , pa en al discussions
and sou ces o sex educa ion.
In his epo , we ocus on wo aspec s o sexual heal h beha iou s ha ha e
ecei ed limi ed a en ion in p e ious I ish esea ch. Fi s , we examine expe ience
o RSE ecei ed om pa en s/gua dians and/o a school. A numbe o indica o s
o sex educa ion a e cons uc ed:
RSE in second-le el school;
ease o discussions wi h mo he / a he abou sex;
pa en al discussions abou ela ionships/sex wi h he young pe son;
main sou ce o in o ma ion abou sex.
Second, we ocus on hose who ha e had sexual in e cou se and examine wo key
aspec s o sexual beha iou : sexual compe ence a i s sex, and condom and
con acep i e use o hose who a e cu en ly sexually ac i e. Sexual compe ence
a i s sex is indica ed by wo a iables cha ac e ising con acep i e use and iming
eg e , while cu en sexual heal h beha iou s a e summa ised by wo a iables
e lec ing condom and con acep i e use espec i ely.
Table 2.1 p esen s summa y s a is ics o he RSE, pa en al discussion and sou ces
o in o ma ion a iables examined in his epo , while Table 2.2 p esen s summa y
s a is ics o he sexual compe ency and sexual heal h beha iou a iables.
17 Pa en s we e also asked (in hei own sensi i e sel -comple ion ques ionnai e) abou whe he hey had discussed
ela ionship and sexuali y issues wi h he young pe son, co e ing i e issues: sex and sexual in e cou se; sexual eelings,
ela ionships and emo ions; con acep ion; sa e sex/sexually ansmi ed in ec ions/ ene eal disease; sexual
o ien a ion (e.g. homosexuali y, he e osexuali y).
Da a and me hods | 17
TABLE 2.1 SUMMARY STATISTICS FOR VARIABLES RELATING TO RSE, PARENTAL DISCUSSIONS
AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION ABOUT SEX
Ou come De ini ion
%
Age
13
%
Age
17
RSE =0 i ha e no (ye ) ecei ed RSE in second-le el school
=1 i ha e ecei ed RSE in second-le el school
44.8
55.2
7.8
92.2
Sex – pa en s =0 i ha e no discussed sex/ ela ionships wi h pa en s
=1 i ha e discussed sex/ ela ionships wi h pa en s
54.8
45.2
40.4
59.6
Ease – mo he
=1 i ne e discussed sex wi h mo he
=2 i ind i e y di icul o discuss sex wi h mo he
=3 i ind i qui e di icul o discuss sex wi h mo he
=4 i ind i nei he easy no di icul o discuss sex wi h mo he
=5 i ind i qui e easy o discuss sex wi h mo he
=6 i ind i e y easy o discuss sex wi h mo he
–
21.9
12.6
15.5
14.7
23.3
12.0
Ease – a he
=1 i ne e discussed sex wi h a he
=2 i ind i e y di icul o discuss sex wi h a he
=3 i ind i qui e di icul o discuss sex wi h a he
=4 i ind i nei he easy no di icul o discuss sex wi h a he
=5 i ind i qui e easy o discuss sex wi h a he
=6 i ind i e y easy o discuss sex wi h a he
–
33.3
22.2
16.4
13.1
11.0
4.1
Sou ce o sex
educa ion
=1 i pa en s/ amily
=2 i iends
=3 i eache
=4 i in e ne /books/TV/ ilms
=5 i nowhe e
45.5
23.1
10.8
4.3
13.8
17.7
46.3
9.3
19.5
4.6
Mo he –
discussions
=1 i spoken o young pe son abou sex and sexual in e cou se
=2 i spoken o young pe son abou sexual eelings, ela ionships and
emo ions
=3 i spoken o young pe son abou con acep ion
=4 i spoken o young pe son abou sa e sex/sexually ansmi ed
in ec ions/ ene eal diseases
=5 i spoken o young pe son abou sexual o ien a ion (e.g.
homosexuali y, he e osexuali y)
59.0
69.0
40.4
37.8
55.3
72.9
79.1
71.5
68.9
69.0
Fa he –
discussions
=1 i spoken o young pe son abou sex and sexual in e cou se
=2 i spoken o young pe son abou sexual eelings, ela ionships and
emo ions
=3 i spoken o young pe son abou con acep ion
=4 i spoken o young pe son abou sa e sex/sexually ansmi ed
in ec ions/ ene eal diseases
=5 i spoken o young pe son abou sexual o ien a ion (e.g.
homosexuali y, he e osexuali y)
30.5
37.7
20.6
19.5
32.0
40.2
45.9
37.9
34.9
41.4
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (age 13) and 3 (age 17).
No es: Popula ion weigh s a e employed. – indica es ha he in o ma ion was no collec ed in his wa e.
18 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
TABLE 2.2 SUMMARY STATISTICS FOR SEXUAL HEALTH BEHAVIOUR VARIABLES
Ou come De ini ion %
Age 13
%
Age 17
Sexual compe ency
Con acep i e use =0 i no con acep ion used
=1 i con acep ion used – 11.3
88.7
No iming eg e =0 i ‘should ha e wai ed longe ’ o ‘should no ha e wai ed so long’
=1 i ‘i was abou he igh ime’ –
23.1
76.9
Sexual heal h beha iou s
Condom use
=0 i ne e , on some occasions, on mos occasions (3/4 o he ime)
=1 i on e e y occasion –
44.1
55.9
Con acep i e use
=0 i some imes, ha dly e e , ne e use con acep ion
=1 i always use con acep ion –
20.8
79.2
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa e 3 (age 17).
No es: Popula ion weigh s a e employed. In o ma ion on sexual compe ency and sexual heal h beha iou s was i s
collec ed a wa e 3 (age 17). The sexual compe ency and sexual heal h beha iou s ques ions a e only asked o hose
who ha e had sexual in e cou se (n = 1792 o 33.2% o he wa e 3 sample). – Indica es ha he in o ma ion was no
collec ed in his wa e.
2.1.2 Independen a iables: young people and hei amilies
The ad an age o GUI is he ichness o he da a on mos aspec s o he li es o
young people and hei amilies, eco ded a ages nine, 13 and 17. We make use o
he da a collec ed a ages 13 and 17 in his epo . We examine he way in which
ou key ou come a iables in ela ion o sex educa ion, sexual compe ency and
sexual heal h beha iou s a y by sex, age and school s age in he i s ins ance.
We also examine pa e ns in ela ion o he socio-economic s a us (SES) o he
young pe son’s amily, as amily SES has been shown o be an impo an p edic o
o adolescen heal h beha iou s in p e ious esea ch (see o example Rich e e
al., 2009). SES (o social backg ound) e e s o posi ion in he social s a i ica ion
sys em and is usually measu ed by educa ion, occupa ion, employmen , income
and/o weal h. These componen s o SES may no be in e changeable and ha e
di e en kinds o in luences on sexual heal h beha iou s and heal h. SES can e lec
di e se unde lying heo e ical conce ns such as ma e ial wellbeing, human capi al,
p es ige and cul u al esou ces (Pampel, K uege e al., 2010). To cap u e hese
elemen s, we include a iables o household equi alised income, educa ion (o
he PCG), lone-pa en household and mig an s a us (o he PCG). Mig an s a us
is included as he e is a sugges ion in p e ious esea ch ha heal h beha iou s,
including adolescen sexual beha iou , can di e signi ican ly ac oss
e hnic/mig an g oups (see o example Coleman and Tes a, 2007).
Pa en s discussing ela ionships and sex wi h hei child en is likely o be mo e
common and mo e open when he e is a posi i e ela ionship al eady and whe e
Da a and me hods | 19
young people alk eely o hei pa en s abou di e en aspec s o hei li es
(McElwain and Bub, 2018). Fu he mo e, he ex en o which pa en s moni o hei
child en’s beha iou ( o example, knowing hei iends) may educe he
likelihood o young people engaging in ea ly and/o isky sexual beha iou (Wigh
e al., 2006). To cap u e hese dimensions, ou measu es o he quali y o he
pa en –child ela ionship (a age 13) we e used:
 he Pian a sho - o m child–pa en ela ionship scale closeness subscale, which
cap u es ge ing on well wi h he young pe son (Quail e al., 2014);
 he Pian a sho - o m child–pa en ela ionship scale con lic subscale, which
cap u es pe cep ions o di icul ies in he ela ionship wi h he young pe son;18
 he pa en al moni o ing subscale (S a in and Ke , 2000) cap u es pa en al
knowledge o hei child en’s li es;
 he child disclosu e subscale (S a in and Ke , 2000) cap u es he willingness o
young people o gi e hei pa en s in o ma ion abou hei ac i i ies and li es
in gene al.
The i s h ee measu es a e epo ed by he p ima y and seconda y ca egi e s,
while he ou h is epo ed by he young pe son hemsel es. Fo mos o he
mul i a ia e models, indica o s o he quali y o ela ionship wi h he PCG a e used
(in o de no o exclude hose in lone-pa en amilies). Indica o s o ela ionship
quali y wi h he seconda y ca egi e a e used whe e he e is a speci ic ocus on
ease o discussion wi h o eceip o in o ma ion om hei a he .
Young people’s knowledge abou sex and sexual beha iou may be in luenced by
hei pee g oup, including whe he hey associa e wi h olde iends and/o
whe he hei iends a e al eady sexually ac i e (Po a d e al., 2008; an Leeuwen
and Mace, 2018). The analyses o sou ces o in o ma ion on sex conside he ole
o pee ela ionship quali y (namely, us and aliena ion).19 The analyses o sexual
beha iou ake accoun o whe he some o all o he young pe son’s iends a e
olde han hem and whe he hey conside ha mos o all o hei iends ha e
had sexual in e cou se.
P e ious esea ch has shown ha ea ly pube y can be associa ed wi h ea lie
sexual ini ia ion (Belsky e al., 2010). The analyses ake accoun o whe he he
18 A age 17, sco es on he ‘in imacy’ and ‘con lic ’ subscales o he ne wo ks o ela ionships in en o y wi h
mo he s/ a he s a e also employed.
19 Sco es om he ‘ us ’ and ‘aliena ion’ pee subscales o he In en o y o Pa en al and Pee A achmen (IPPA) a e
used.

20 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
young pe son had eached pube y (commencemen o mens ua ion o emales,
he oice ha ing b oken o males) by he ime o he su ey a age 13.
2.1.3 Independen a iables: school cha ac e is ics
Schools can ope a e as a con ex o impa ing in o ma ion abou ela ionships and
sex and b oade aspec s o school p ocess and clima e can in luence a i udes and
beha iou (see Sec ion 1.2). Analyses in his epo ake accoun o a numbe o
objec i e cha ac e is ics o he school a ended (measu ed a age 13):
 whe he he school is in he Deli e ing Equali y o Oppo uni y in Schools (DEIS)
p og amme, which is aken as a p oxy o a concen a ion o socio-economic
disad an age;
 whe he he school is ee-paying, which is aken as a p oxy o a concen a ion
o socio-economic ad an age;
 he gende mix o he school, dis inguishing be ween coeduca ional, single-sex
boys’ and single-sex gi ls’ schools;
 he size o he school, dis inguishing be ween <200, 200–399, 400–599 and
600+ s uden ca ego ies;
 he school sec o , dis inguishing be ween olun a y seconda y, Educa ion and
T aining Boa d (ETB) and communi y/comp ehensi e schools; a u he dummy
a iable is included o iden i y schools wi h a Roman Ca holic e hos.
As he coho is based on age a he han educa ional s age, analyses o eceip o
school-based RSE a 13 dis inguish be ween hose in i s and second yea o
second-le el educa ion. A 17, we dis inguish be ween hose in i h yea , hose in
six h yea and hose who ha e al eady le school.
In looking a young people’s eliance on school-based sou ces o in o ma ion, we
use measu es o hei school engagemen , including a i udes o school a 13 as
well as he expe ience o posi i e in e ac ion (p aise o posi i e eedback) and
nega i e in e ac ion ( ep imand) wi h eache s. To assess whe he knowledge and
beha iou e lec academic pe o mance, we con ol o g ades ecei ed a Junio
Ce i ica e, wi h sco es alloca ed on he basis o subjec le el and g ade and
a e aged o e all exam subjec s aken.
2.2 METHODS
Each o he chap e s in his epo begins by p esen ing desc ip i e in o ma ion on
o e all beha iou al pa e ns be o e using mul i a ia e models o disen angle he
ela i e e ec s o indi idual, amily and pee ac o s on di e en aspec s o
Da a and me hods | 21
in o ma ion eceip , sexual compe ence and beha iou . A he i s wa e o
Coho ‘98 o he G owing Up in I eland s udy, nine-yea -old child en we e sampled
wi hin a se o schools selec ed o be ep esen a i e o he o al popula ion o
p ima y schools. T adi ional eg ession echniques ha e in ol ed he assump ion
ha he e is no au oco ela ion wi hin he da a; ha is, ha s uden s ep esen
independen obse a ions a he han being clus e ed wi hin schools. Howe e , i
canno be assumed ha s uden s in he same school a e comple ely ‘independen ’
o each o he in his way. G oups a ely o m a andom and, once o med, he
membe s o a g oup in e ac wi h each o he o c ea e e en g ea e homogenei y
(Jones, 1992). Using adi ional eg ession p ocedu es will he e o e inc ease he
isks o inding di e ences and ela ionships whe e none exis (Golds ein, 2003).
In con as o eg ession p ocedu es, mul ile el modelling echniques ake he
clus e ing o indi iduals wi hin g oups in o accoun (Golds ein, 2003). Such models
p o ide mo e p ecise es ima es o he e ec s o school cha ac e is ics, e en whe e
he e is no signi ican a ia ion be ween schools in he ou come examined. In his
epo , a se ies o wo-le el models a e es ima ed, wi h young people g ouped
wi hin second-le el schools. Analyses p esen ed in his epo we e ca ied ou
using S a a (a s a is ical so wa e package). The numbe o s uden s pe second-
le el school anged om 1 o 49. Because some schools ha e only a ew s uden s,
he es ima es o school e ec s should be in e p e ed as lowe bound es ima es
since ha ing mo e obse a ions (s uden s) pe school would likely inc ease
be ween-school a ia ion. In mul ile el models, he ixed-e ec coe icien s can be
in e p e ed in he same way as adi ional eg ession coe icien s. In addi ion, a
andom in e cep is es ima ed which indica es he scale o a ia ion in he ou come
be ween schools.
Chap e 3 analyses he pa e ns o , and ac o s in luencing, eceip o school-based
sex educa ion using mul ile el models. I also p esen s mul i a ia e analyses o he
in luences on iming o discussion o sex wi h pa en s and he ease o ha
discussion om he young pe son’s pe spec i e. Chap e 4 examines he pa e ns
o sexual compe ence and sexual beha iou be o e analysing he amily, school and
pee ac o s ha may explain a ia ion in hese beha iou s ac oss young people.
In o ma ion on ela ionships and sex | 23
CHAPTER 3
In o ma ion on ela ionships and sex
3.1 INTRODUCTION
In his chap e we desc ibe how, when and whe e young people ecei e
in o ma ion abou ela ionships and sex. We examine no only whe he hey ha e
ecei ed ela ionships and sexuali y educa ion (RSE) a school, bu also whe he
hey ha e spoken o hei pa en s abou ela ionships and sex, and how easy hey
ind i o alk openly wi h hei pa en s abou sex. Finally, we examine whe e young
people epo ecei ing mos o hei in o ma ion abou sex.
Fo all ou comes, we examine how he eceip o in o ma ion a ies by key
indi idual and amily cha ac e is ics such as gende , educa ional yea g oup and
amily socio-economic s a us. We also analyse he ex en o which he eceip o
RSE a school di e s by he cha ac e is ics o he school (e hos, single-sex, e c.).
Fo mos o ou measu es, we ha e in o ma ion collec ed a bo h he wa e 2 (age
13) and wa e 3 (age 17) in e iews, allowing us o examine he e olu ion o
exposu e o RSE, pa en al discussions and sou ces o in o ma ion be ween ages 13
and 17.
3.2 RELATIONSHIPS AND SEXUALITY EDUCATION AT SCHOOL
Young people we e asked whe he hey had ecei ed RSE in school du ing he wa e
2 (age 13) and wa e 3 (age 17) in e iews. O e all, 55 pe cen o 13-yea -olds
epo ed ha hey had ecei ed RSE, while he co esponding igu e a 17 yea s o
age was 92 pe cen (see also Table 2.1 in Chap e 2). Howe e , hese agg ega e
igu es mask conside able a ia ion ac oss educa ional yea g oups (and
addi ionally o he 17-yea -olds, whe he hey ha e comple ed hei second-le el
educa ion). Figu e 3.1 shows ha , a age 13, he p opo ion who had ecei ed RSE
anged om 47 pe cen o hose who we e in i s yea o second-le el school20 o
62 pe cen o hose who we e in second yea in second-le el school (and hese
di e ences we e s a is ically signi ican ). A age 17, he p opo ions who had
ecei ed RSE anged om 91 pe cen o hose who we e in i h yea o 93 pe
cen o hose who had le second-le el school (and while he o e all p e alence
was much highe , hese di e ences we e again s a is ically signi ican ). A bo h 13
and 17, s a is ically signi ican di e ences we e obse ed be ween young men and
20 This g oup includes a e y small numbe who we e s ill in six h class when su eyed.
30 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
u al a ea. The eliance on school-based ad ice did no a y ac oss indi idual
second-le el schools bu was somewha mo e likely o hose a ending
communi y/comp ehensi e o Ca holic schools (see also Appendix Table A7).
FIGURE 3.6 RSE AT SCHOOL AND DISCUSSIONS WITH PARENTS AT AGES 13 AND 17 BY SEX
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (age 13) and 3 (age 17).
No e: Popula ion weigh s a e employed.
3.4 EASE OF DISCUSSIONS ABOUT SEX AND RELATIONSHIP ISSUES
A age 17, he young people we e asked o a e how easy hey el i was o alk
openly wi h hei pa en s abou sex. As illus a ed in Figu e 3.7, o e all he young
people epo ed eeling mo e a ease alking openly abou sex wi h hei mo he s
a he han hei a he s. Looking in mo e de ail a hese pa e ns ac oss young
men and women, young women epo ed i easie o alk o hei mo he s, while
young men epo ed g ea e ease in alking o hei a he s. None heless, e en
among young men, nea ly 60 pe cen epo ed ha i was qui e di icul o e y
di icul o discuss sex wi h hei a he s, o ha he issue ne e came up (see
Figu e 3.8).
25.0 31.6
50.4 63.0
15.6
18.5
3.4
3.4
27.2
26.5
40.9
30.5
32.2 23.5
5.3 3.1
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Age 13 - male Age 13 - emale Age 17 - male Age 17 - emale
%
Nei he
RSE a school only
Discussed wi h pa en s only
Recei ed RSE a school and discussed wi h pa en s

In o ma ion on ela ionships and sex | 31
FIGURE 3.7 EASE OF TALKING OPENLY ABOUT SEX WITH MOTHER AND FATHER
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa e 3 (age 17).
No e: Popula ion weigh s a e employed.
FIGURE 3.8 EASE OF TALKING OPENLY ABOUT SEX WITH MOTHER AND FATHER BY SEX
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa e 3 (age 17).
No e: Popula ion weigh s a e employed.
12.0 4.1
23.3
11.0
14.7
13.1
15.5
16.4
12.6
22.2
21.9 33.3
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Mo he Fa he
%
Ve y easy Qui e easy Nei he Qui e di icul Ve y di icul Ne e came up
8.6 15.3 5.7 2.3
17.1
29.5
16.2
5.2
14.3
15.1
17.2
8.6
17.3
13.8
18.1
14.5
15.0
10.2
14.7
30.4
27.8
16.1
28.0
39.0
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Mo he - male Mo he - emale Fa he - male Fa he - emale
%
Ve y easy Qui e easy Nei he Qui e di icul Ve y di icul Ne e came up
32 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
In he mul i a ia e models, young women epo ed inding i easie o alk o hei
mo he s abou sex, as did hose om lone-pa en amilies. The e was some
e idence ha hose om highe income amilies epo ed inding i mo e di icul
o alk o hei mo he s abou sex (bu hese esul s we e only ma ginally
s a is ically signi ican o hose in he highes income quin ile). Discussions we e
easie whe e young people had a mo e in ima e ela ionship wi h hei mo he a
age 17 and mo e di icul i he ela ionship was con lic ual. Unlike he iming o
discussion, he s age o pube al de elopmen did no in luence he ease o such
con e sa ions.
Young men ound i easie o alk o hei a he s abou sex han young women.
Those who had a mo e in ima e and less con lic ual ela ionship wi h hei a he
a 17 ound i easie o alk o him abou sex. See Appendix Table A8 o he ull se
o esul s.
3.5 PARENTAL REPORTS OF DISCUSSIONS ABOUT SEX AND
RELATIONSHIP ISSUES
In his sec ion, we swi ch he ocus om he young pe sons’ epo s o pa en al
epo s o discussions wi h hei child en abou sex and ela ionship issues. When
he young people we e aged 13 and 17, mo he s and a he s we e asked abou
whe he hey had discussed i e opics wi h hei child: sex and sexual in e cou se;
sexual eelings, ela ionships and emo ions; con acep ion; sa e sex/sexually
ansmi ed in ec ions/ ene eal diseases; sexual o ien a ion (e.g. homosexuali y,
he e osexuali y). Figu es 3.9 and 3.10 illus a e he p e alence o hese discussions
a ages 13 and 17. No su p isingly, a highe p opo ion o mo he s and a he s had
discussed hese issues wi h hei child a age 17 han a age 13. Focusing on
mo he s’ epo s, a age 17, he p opo ions ange om app oxima ely 70 pe cen
o sa e sex o 80 pe cen o sexual eelings, ela ionships and emo ions.
Howe e , e en a age 17, less han 50 pe cen o a he s had discussed each o he
i e issues wi h hei son o daugh e .
In o ma ion on ela ionships and sex | 33
FIGURE 3.9 MATERNAL DISCUSSIONS WITH YOUNG PERSON AT AGES 13 AND 17
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (age 13) and 3 (age 17).
No e: Popula ion weigh s a e employed.
FIGURE 3.10 PATERNAL DISCUSSIONS WITH YOUNG PERSON AT AGES 13 AND 17
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (age 13) and 3 (age 17).
No e: Popula ion weigh s a e employed.
59.0
69.0
40.4 37.8
55.3
72.9 79.1
71.5 68.9 69.0
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Sex and sexual
in e cou se
Sexual eelings Con acep ion Sa e sex Sexual o ien a ion
%
Age 13 Age 17
30.5
37.7
20.6 19.5
32.0
40.2 45.9
37.9 34.9
41.1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Sex and sexual
in e cou se
Sexual eelings Con acep ion Sa e sex Sexual o ien a ion
%
Age 13 Age 17
34 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
Agg ega ing ac oss all opics, a age 13, 24 pe cen o mo he s had discussed all o
hese issues wi h hei child, and his p opo ion had inc eased o 49 pe cen by
age 17. The co esponding igu es o a he s we e 11 pe cen and 20 pe cen
espec i ely.
Focusing on pa en al epo s a age 17, in mul i a ia e models, summa ised in
Appendix Tables A3.9 and A3.10, mo he s o young women we e signi ican ly mo e
likely o epo discussing all issues, while he opposi e was ue o a he s o
young women (who we e signi ican ly less likely o discuss all issues han he
a he s o young men). In gene al, he e was li le a ia ion in pa en al epo s
(whe he by mo he s o a he s) by amily social backg ound, al hough mo he s
wi h highe le els o educa ion we e signi ican ly mo e likely o epo discussing
sexual in e cou se, sexual eelings and sexual o ien a ion wi h hei son o
daugh e . Those om lone-pa en amilies we e signi ican ly mo e likely o ha e
mo he s who epo ed ha hey had discussed con acep ion, sa e sex and sexual
o ien a ion by age 17. The quali y o he ela ionship be ween pa en s and child
was impo an o bo h mo he s’ and a he s’ epo s, wi h hose wi h close
ela ionships wi h hei child a 13 and 17 mo e likely o epo discussing all i e
issues. Fo a he s’ epo s, highe le els o pa en al moni o ing we e associa ed
wi h a g ea e p obabili y o discussing all issues. One o he s onges nega i e
associa ions occu ed o hose li ing in u al a eas; a he s o young people
esiden in u al a eas we e signi ican ly less likely o ha e discussed each o he
i e issues wi h hei child by age 17.24
3.5 SOURCE OF INFORMATION ABOUT SEX AND RELATIONSHIP ISSUES
In his sec ion we conside he main sou ces o in o ma ion ha a e used by young
people in ela ion o sex and ela ionship issues. Young people we e asked o
indica e he sou ce whe e hey ecei e mos o hei in o ma ion, and his ques ion
was asked a bo h ages 13 and 17. Figu e 3.11 shows ha a age 13, he mos
equen ly ci ed sou ce was pa en s/ amily (including siblings), wi h app oxima ely
46 pe cen o young people nomina ing his sou ce. The nex highes was iends
a 23 pe cen , ollowed by ‘nowhe e’ a jus unde 14 pe cen . By age 17, iends
had eplaced pa en s/ amily as he mos ci ed sou ce, a 46 pe cen compa ed o
18 pe cen o pa en s/ amily. The in e ne , along wi h books, magazines, TV,
ilms, e c. was he second mos ci ed sou ce a age 17, a nea ly 20 pe cen . A
24 A possible explana ion is ha u al a he s a e mo e eligious (and he e is e idence ha eligiosi y can a ec a i udes
owa ds sexual issues (Halman and an Ingen, 2015)). Howe e , con olling o eligiosi y (i.e. whe he he a he
conside s himsel a membe o a eligion) did no change he magni ude o s a is ical signi icance o he odds a ios o
u al loca ion. This sugges s ha o he unobse ed ac o s a e associa ed wi h u al esidence ha explain u al a he s’
eluc ance o alk o hei 17-yea -old sons o daugh e s abou hese issues.
In o ma ion on ela ionships and sex | 35
bo h ages 13 and 17, eache s we e ci ed as he sou ce o mos in o ma ion by
app oxima ely 10 pe cen .
FIGURE 3.11 SOURCE OF MOST INFORMATION ON SEX/RELATIONSHIP ISSUES
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (age 13) and 3 (age 17).
No e: Popula ion weigh s a e employed.
As illus a ed in Figu e 3.12, he e we e signi ican di e ences in he main sou ces
ci ed be ween males and emales. A highe p opo ion o young women ci ed hei
pa en s/ amily as hei main sou ce (a bo h ages 13 and 17) han young males.
Simila ly, a highe p opo ion o young males ci ed he in e ne as hei main
sou ce, pa icula ly a age 17, when nea ly one qua e ci ed his as hei main
sou ce. Howe e , i is no able ha o e 8 pe cen o young males a age 13 ci ed
he in e ne as he sou ce o mos o hei in o ma ion on sex and ela ionship
issues, and 17 pe cen o 13-yea -old boys epo ed ha hey did no ge any
in o ma ion om any o hese sou ces.
45.5
17.7
23.1
46.3
10.8 9.3
6.8 19.5
13.8 4.6
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Age 13 Age 17
%
Pa en s/ amily F iends Teache In e ne /books/TV/ ilms Nowhe e

36 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
FIGURE 3.12 SOURCE OF INFORMATION ON SEX/RELATIONSHIP ISSUES BY SEX
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (age 13) and 3 (age 17).
No e: Popula ion weigh s a e employed.
In o de o examine he a ia ion in main sou ce o sex in o ma ion by key
indi idual and amily cha ac e is ics, we un mul inomial logi models ( ull esul s
p esen ed in Appendix Tables A3.11 and A3.12). A age 13, ela i e o ci ing
pa en s/ amily as hei main sou ce, young women we e signi ican ly less likely
han males o ci e all o he sou ces. Those who we e in second yea ( a he han
i s yea ) we e mo e likely o ci e hei eache . The e was li le signi ican
a ia ion by amily backg ound, excep ha young people om lowe income
amilies we e mo e likely o ci e ‘nowhe e’. Ha ing a close ela ionship wi h hei
mo he was an impo an p edic o o sou ce o in o ma ion on sex, wi h hose
wi h close ela ionships wi h hei mo he s signi ican ly less likely o choose all
o he sou ces o e hei pa en s/ amily. The quali y o pee ela ionships ma e ed
oo, pa icula ly o eliance on he in e ne , wi h hose displaying g ea e
aliena ion om hei pee s, and lowe us wi h hei pee s, signi ican ly mo e
likely o choose he in e ne as hei main sou ce a 13.
By age 17, he di e ences be ween young men and women we e much less
e iden , wi h young women only signi ican ly less likely han young men o choose
eache and ‘nowhe e’ as hei main sou ce. Those om highe income amilies
we e signi ican ly mo e likely o ci e he in e ne as hei main sou ce a age 17.
Closeness wi h he mo he a age 13 was insigni ican , al hough his was likely
38.8
52.4
13.4 21.8
24.0
22.2
46.2
46.4
11.9
9.6
10.3
8.3
8.2
5.4 23.6 20.8
17.1 10.4 6.5 2.7
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Age 13 - Males Age 13 - Females Age 17 - Males Age 17 - Females
%
Pa en s/Family F iends Teache In e ne /books/TV/ ilms Nowhe e
In o ma ion on ela ionships and sex | 37
media ed by he s ong e ec o ma e nal in imacy a age 17.25 The quali y o pee
ela ionships was somewha signi ican , wi h hose wi h highe aliena ion om
hei pee s signi ican ly mo e likely o ci e he in e ne as hei main sou ce a 17.
Gi en he pa e ns iden i ied in Sec ion 3.2 in ela ion o a ia ion in RSE ac oss
schools, i is ins uc i e o examine in pa icula whe he ci ing a eache as he
main sou ce o in o ma ion on sex is also ela ed o school cha ac e is ics. A
mul i a ia e model26 indica es ha a 13, males and hose in second yea we e
mo e likely o name hei eache as he main sou ce o in o ma ion on sex. None
o he school-le el cha ac e is ics we e associa ed wi h he choice o eache as
he main sou ce o sex educa ion a age 13. A 17, young people wi h a SEN we e
mo e likely o ci e hei eache as he main sou ce o in o ma ion, while his was
less p e alen among hose om lone-pa en amilies and hose who had le
school. Reliance on he eache did no a y by ype o school o he school’s social
o gende mix (see Appendix Table A13).
3.6 SUMMARY
In his chap e , we examined how, when and whe e young people ecei e
in o ma ion abou ela ionships and sex. By age 17, he majo i y o young people
had epo ed RSE a school, wi h emales sligh ly mo e likely o epo eceip han
males. The p opo ions ecei ing RSE a bo h ages 13 and 17 a ied signi ican ly
ac oss indi idual schools. Howe e , he school-le el cha ac e is ics a ailable in he
G owing Up in I eland (GUI) da a we e gene ally non-signi ican , sugges ing ha
schools di e in he iming o RSE p o ision, bu no due o school size, e hos,
gende mix o DEIS s a us.
By age 17, nea ly 60 pe cen o young people epo ed ha hey had discussed sex
and/o ela ionship issues wi h hei pa en s. The quali y o he ela ionship
be ween he mo he and child eme ged as a key de e minan o pa en al
discussions a bo h ages 13 and 17, as did pube al s age, sugges ing ha pube y
ope a ed as a p omp o pa en al discussions wi h hei child en abou sex and
ela ionships.
A signi ican mino i y o 13-yea -olds – a hi d o males and almos a qua e o
emales – we e no ecei ing sex educa ion a home o a school. This g oup was
disp opo iona ely om disad an aged backg ounds (in e ms o ma e nal
25 The (Spea man) co ela ion be ween he measu e o p ima y ca egi e (PCG) closeness a age 13 and ma e nal
in imacy a age 17 is 0.209 (and i is s a is ically signi ican a he 0.1 pe cen le el). Excluding ma e nal in imacy a
age 17 om he models inc eases he size and signi icance o some o he nega i e ela i e isk a ios o PCG closeness
a age 13 (pa icula ly hose o choosing iends, and he in e ne ).
26 Mul ile el models would no con e ge, mos likely because o he small size o he g oup ha indica ed hei eache
was he main sou ce o in o ma ion on sex educa ion.
38 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
educa ion and household income). School cha ac e is ics did no make a di e ence
bu he e was a ia ion in lack o access o in o ma ion ac oss indi idual schools,
sugges ing an impo an ole o policy and leade ship a school le el.
Less han 5 pe cen o young people epo ed no RSE o pa en al discussions by
he age o 17. Howe e , young men we e signi ican ly mo e likely o belong o his
g oup (5 pe cen s 3 pe cen ). In addi ion, a e y signi ican g oup – o e 40 pe
cen o males and o e 30 pe cen o emales – we e solely elian on sex educa ion
a school. This was mo e common o hose li ing in u al a eas and o he lowes
income g oups.
The e was a clea gende di ide in epo s o ease o discussions wi h pa en s abou
sex; young women ound i easie o alk o hei mo he s, while young men ound
o easie o alk o hei a he s. Howe e , nea ly 60 pe cen o young men
epo ed inding i di icul o e y di icul o alk openly wi h hei a he s abou
sex. The quali y o he pa en al ela ionship eme ged once again as a key p edic o
o ease o discussions. Simila pa e ns we e e iden when examining epo s o
pa en al discussions om he pe spec i es o pa en s – mo he s we e mo e likely
o alk o hei daugh e s abou key sex and ela ionship issues, while a he s we e
mo e likely o alk o hei sons, and he quali y o he pa en –child ela ionship
was again signi ican . One consis en inding ac oss all i e issues (sex; sexual
eelings; con acep ion; sa e sex; sexual o ien a ion) was ha u al a he s we e
signi ican ly less likely o discuss hese issues wi h hei child en han u ban
a he s.
Finally, his chap e examined he main sou ces o in o ma ion used by young
people in lea ning abou sex. While pa en s/ amily we e he main sou ce a age 13,
by age 17, iends we e he mos commonly ci ed sou ce (by nea ly 50 pe cen o
young people). Teache s we e ci ed by app oxima ely 10 pe cen o young people
a bo h ages 13 and 17. A age 17, nea ly a qua e o young men, and 21 pe cen
o young women, ci ed he in e ne /books/TV/ ilms, e c. as hei main sou ce o
in o ma ion on sex. The quali y o pee ela ionships eme ged as a key p edic o o
epo ing he in e ne as he main sou ce; hose who we e mo e aliena ed om
hei pee s we e signi ican ly mo e likely o ci e he in e ne a he han hei
pa en s/ amily as hei main sou ce a age 17.
In Chap e 4 we examine sexual compe ency and beha iou s o he subsample o
17-yea -olds who ha e had sex, ocusing in pa icula on he ole, i any, o how
and whe e young people ha e ecei ed in o ma ion on sex and ela ionships in
shaping hese pa e ns.
Sexual compe ence and sexual heal h beha iou s | 39
CHAPTER 4
Sexual compe ence and sexual heal h beha iou s
4.1 INTRODUCTION
In his chap e we ocus on he young people a he age o 17 who ha e had sexual
in e cou se, and examine hei sexual compe ence a i s sex, as well as hei
cu en sexual heal h beha iou s. While G owing Up in I eland (GUI) does no
con ain he ull se o indica o s used o cons uc an index o sexual compe ence,
in o ma ion on iming eg e and con acep i e use a i s sex is a ailable and can
be used o assess hese dimensions o sexual compe ence. Lack o sexual
compe ence a i s sex has been shown o be associa ed wi h poo subsequen
sexual heal h, as de ined by sel - epo ed sexually ansmi ed in ec ion (STI)
diagnosis, Human Papilloma Vi us (HPV) posi i e s a us, lowe sexual unc ion,
unplanned p egnancy and expe ience o non- oli ional sex (Palme e al., 2019).
Be o e examining he sexual compe ence o young people who ha e had sex by
age 17, we i s examine he p e alence o sexual in e cou se by age 17, as his
g oup o ms he sample o he subsequen analyses in his chap e .
4.2 SEXUAL ACTIVITY
A age 17, he young pe son was asked abou whe he hey had engaged in a ious
ypes o sexual ac i i y, anging om holding hands o sexual in e cou se. O e all,
33 pe cen o he young people had had sexual in e cou se by he ime o hei
wa e 3 in e iew.27 Those who we e 18 yea s o age we e much mo e likely o
epo ha ing had sexual in e cou se (38 pe cen ) han hose who we e 16 o 17
yea s o age (32 pe cen ), as we e hose who had le second-le el school (45 pe
cen s 34 pe cen o hose in six h yea and 27 pe cen o hose in i h yea ).
Young men we e sligh ly mo e likely o epo sexual in e cou se han women (34
s 32 pe cen ) (see Figu e 4.1).
27 Da a om he I ish S udy o Sexual Heal h and Rela ionships (ISSHR) ound ha he median age o i s ( aginal) sexual
in e cou se was 17 yea s among hose aged 18–25 yea s in 2004 (Lay e e al., 2006). Mo e ecen ly, da a om he
Heal h Beha iou in School-Aged Child en (HBSC) s udy indica ed ha in 2018, 28 pe cen o 15–17-yea -old boys and
20 pe cen o 15–17-yea -old gi ls epo ed ha ing had sexual in e cou se (Köl ő e al., 2020). O hose in Senio Cycle
who esponded o he 2018 My Wo ld su ey, 30 pe cen epo ed ha ing had sex (Dooley e al., 2019).
46 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
Mo ing on o con acep i e use, o hose who ha e had sex, Figu e 4.5 shows ha
o e all, jus unde 80 pe cen o young people epo ha hey ‘always’ use
con acep ion. This p opo ion did no a y signi ican ly by gende , age o school
s age.
FIGURE 4.5 PREVALENCE OF ALWAYS USING CONTRACEPTION BY AGE, SEX AND SCHOOL STAGE
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa e 3 (age 17).
No e: Popula ion weigh s a e employed.
As wi h condom use, con acep i e use did no a y ac oss indi idual second-le el
schools. The e was no sys ema ic a ia ion by indi idual o school cha ac e is ics,
school engagemen , sou ce o in o ma ion on sex o na u e o he pee g oup.
Howe e , young people who achie ed highe g ades a he Junio Ce i ica e we e
mo e likely o always use con acep ion (see Appendix Table A20). Addi ional
analyses (no shown he e) sugges ha ha ing iends ha a e mos ly sexually
ac i e was associa ed wi h lowe le els o con acep i e use.
4.5 SUMMARY
In his chap e , we ha e ocused on he subsample o 17-yea -olds (app oxima ely
one- hi d) who ha e epo ed ha ing had sexual in e cou se. Ha ing had sexual
in e cou se is mo e p e alen among males, hose who a e olde and hose om
lone-pa en amilies and lowe among hose wi h g adua e mo he s. Ra es a e
much lowe among hose wi h a SEN. The e a e la ge di e ences by school s age,
79.2 78 80.5 78.4 81.9 79.5 79.5 78.4
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
O e all Male Female Age
16/17
Age 18 5 h yea 6 h yea Le
school
%

Sexual compe ence and sexual heal h beha iou s | 47
wi h much highe a es among hose who ha e le school and he lowes le el
among i h yea s, sugges ing an associa ion be ween s age in he educa ional
ca ee and sel -pe cei ed independence o ma u i y. The e is a modes bu
signi ican a ia ion in he p opo ion who ha e had sexual in e cou se ac oss
second-le el schools, e en con olling o gende and amily backg ound. This
di e ence is no due o he ype o school o o he iming o eceip o RSE,
sugges ing some ole o o he ac o s such as he quali y o sex educa ion and/o
he na u e o he pee cul u e.
While GUI does no con ain he ull se o i ems ha a e gene ally used o cons uc
a measu e o sexual compe ence, he e idence he e showed ha , consis en wi h
o he esea ch, emales we e signi ican ly mo e likely o exp ess eg e o e he
iming o hei i s sexual in e cou se expe ience. In e ms o con acep i e use a
i s sex, he e was e idence ha hose who had discussed sex and ela ionships
wi h hei pa en s a age 13 we e signi ican ly mo e likely o ha e used
con acep ion a i s sex. Fu he mo e, hose who sou ced mos o hei
in o ma ion on sex om hei iends we e signi ican ly less likely o use
con acep ion a i s sex. Wi h he p e alence o con acep i e use a i s sex a
nea ly 90 pe cen , i was pe haps unsu p ising ha so ew o he a iables eme ged
as signi ican p edic o s o con acep i e use a i s sex. The e was no signi ican
school-le el a ia ion in sexual compe ence and no ela ionship wi h he iming o
RSE eceip . Simila ly, o hose who a e cu en ly sexually ac i e, he e was no
signi ican school-le el a ia ion in use o condoms and/o con acep ion. While
nea ly 90 pe cen o young people epo ed using con acep ion he i s ime hey
had sex, o hose who a e cu en ly sexually ac i e his p opo ion had d opped
o below 80 pe cen .
Discussion and policy implica ions | 49
CHAPTER 5
Discussion and policy implica ions
5.1 SUMMARY
Sexual ac i i y is an impo an componen o physical and men al heal h and
wellbeing. The de elopmen o posi i e sexual heal h beha iou s du ing
adolescence lays he ounda ion o heal hy ela ionships h oughou he li e
cou se. One o he h ee key goals o he na ional sexual heal h s a egy is o
ensu e ha e e yone has access o app op ia e sexual heal h educa ion and
in o ma ion. This epo has d awn on ich in o ma ion om he G owing Up in
I eland (GUI) s udy o look a sou ces o in o ma ion on sex and sexual beha iou
among 17-yea -olds, hus p o iding an impo an e idence base o policy
de elopmen .
5.1.1 Sou ces o in o ma ion on sex
This epo ocused in he i s ins ance on how, when and whe e young people
sou ce hei in o ma ion on sex and ela ionships. By age 17, nea ly 60 pe cen o
young people epo ed ha hey had discussed sex and/o ela ionship issues wi h
hei pa en s. The quali y o he ela ionship be ween he mo he and child
eme ged as a key de e minan o pa en al discussions a bo h ages 13 and 17, as
did pube al s age, sugges ing ha pube y ope a ed as a p omp o pa en al
discussions wi h hei child en abou sex and ela ionships. Less han 5 pe cen o
young people epo ed no school-based Rela ionships and Sexuali y Educa ion
(RSE) o pa en al discussions by he age o 17. Howe e , young men we e
signi ican ly mo e likely o belong o his g oup (5 pe cen compa ed wi h 3 pe
cen ).
The e was a clea gende di ide in epo s o ease o discussions wi h pa en s abou
sex: young women ound i easie o alk o hei mo he s, while young men ound
i easie o alk o hei a he s. Howe e , nea ly 60 pe cen o young men epo ed
inding i di icul o e y di icul o alk openly wi h hei a he s abou sex. The
quali y o he pa en al ela ionship eme ged once again as a key p edic o o ease
o discussion. Simila pa e ns we e e iden when examining epo s o pa en al
discussions om he pe spec i es o pa en s: mo he s we e mo e likely o alk o
hei daugh e s abou key sex and ela ionship issues, while a he s we e mo e
likely o alk o hei sons, and he quali y o he pa en –child ela ionship was
again signi ican . One consis en inding in pa en al discussion o a ious issues
(sex; sexual eelings; con acep ion; sa e sex; sexual o ien a ion) was ha u al
a he s we e signi ican ly less likely o discuss hese issues wi h hei child en han
u ban a he s.
50 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
By age 17, o e 90 pe cen o young men and women had ecei ed RSE a school
bu young people we e ound o a y in he iming o eceip o school-based RSE,
depending on he school hey a ended. Va ia ion was no e iden by school
cha ac e is ics such as size, e hos o gende mix, sugges ing he impo an ole o
policy and leade ship a he school le el.
Looking a indings on he eceip o sex educa ion a school o home oge he , wo
key pa e ns a e e iden . Fi s ly, a signi ican mino i y o 13-yea -olds – a hi d o
males and almos a qua e o emales – had no ecei ed sex educa ion a home
o a school. Secondly, a ound a hi d o 17-yea -olds we e wholly dependen on
school-based p o ision a he han discussions wi h hei pa en s. This g oup was
signi ican ly mo e likely o be male, in he lowes wo income quin iles and om a
wo-pa en amily, and o li e in a u al a ea. While a eliance on school-based
in o ma ion is no p oblema ic pe se, he ela i ely modes ime alloca ion gi en
o Social, Pe sonal and Heal h Educa ion (SPHE) in gene al and RSE in pa icula
(see below) may lead o gaps in in o ma ion and suppo o hese young people.
Young people we e asked abou hei main sou ce o in o ma ion on sex a bo h
13 and 17 yea s o age. While pa en s/ amily we e he main sou ce a age 13, by
age 17 iends we e he mos commonly ci ed sou ce (by nea ly 50 pe cen o
young people). A bo h ages, young people we e mo e likely o ci e hei
pa en s/ amily as hei main sou ce whe e hey had a posi i e ela ionship wi h
hei mo he . Teache s we e ci ed by app oxima ely 10 pe cen o young people
a bo h ages and we e mo e equen ly men ioned by young people wi h a special
educa ional need (SEN). A age 17, nea ly a qua e o young men, and jus o e 20
pe cen o young women, ci ed he in e ne /books/TV/ ilms e c. as hei main
sou ce o in o ma ion on sex. The quali y o pee ela ionships eme ged as a key
p edic o o epo ing he in e ne as he main sou ce; hose who we e mo e
aliena ed om hei pee s we e signi ican ly mo e likely o ci e he in e ne as hei
main sou ce a age 17.
5.1.2 Sexual beha iou
The epo hen ocused on he sexual beha iou o 17-yea -olds. App oxima ely
one- hi d had had sexual in e cou se while ou in en had had o al sex and/o
in e cou se. The g oup o young people who had o al and/o pene a i e sex we e
mo e likely o be male, olde and om a lone-pa en amily, and less likely o ha e
a SEN o li e in a u al a ea. School s age was impo an , wi h sexual ac i i y le els
highe among hose who had le school. Those elian on iends, he in e ne o
books/magazines/TV we e mo e likely o be sexually ac i e as we e (sligh ly) hose
who had a con lic ual ela ionship wi h hei mo he (a 13) and mo e nega i e
ela ionships wi h eache s. Those who had la ge iendship ne wo ks we e mo e
likely o ha e had sex. Signi ican be ween-school a ia ion was e iden in he
Discussion and policy implica ions | 51
p opo ion o young people who had had o al sex and/o in e cou se, e en
con olling o a ange o indi idual and amily backg ound ac o s. This was no
ela ed o school cha ac e is ics such as gende and social mix, sugges ing a ole
o pee cul u e and b oade school clima e in in luencing sexual beha iou .
The p obabili y o ha ing had sexual in e cou se was highe among males, hose
who we e olde and hose om lone-pa en amilies, and lowe among hose wi h
g adua e mo he s. Ra es we e much lowe among hose wi h a SEN. Ea lie
pube y was associa ed wi h a g ea e likelihood o ha ing had in e cou se. Those
who we e mo e elian on hei iends as a sou ce o in o ma ion we e much mo e
likely o ha e had in e cou se, as we e hose who had la ge iendship ne wo ks
a 13.
Be ween-school di e ences we e ound in he p opo ion o 17-yea -olds who had
had in e cou se bu hese di e ences we e la gely accoun ed o by school s age,
wi h much highe a es among hose who had le school (and he lowes le el
among i h yea s). O he aspec s o school expe ience also ma e ed, wi h highe
a es among hose who had a nega i e ela ionship wi h hei eache s and lowe
a es among hose who achie ed highe Junio Ce i ica e g ades.
In e na ional esea ch has inc easingly ocused no on age o sexual ini ia ion bu
on a b oade no ion o sexual compe ence o eadiness, which encompasses
con acep i e p o ec ion, making a ee choice, bo h pa ne s being equally willing,
and eeling i was he igh ime ( a he han eg e ing he iming). While GUI does
no con ain he ull se o i ems ha a e gene ally used o cons uc a measu e o
sexual compe ence, he e idence he e showed ha , consis en wi h o he
esea ch, emales we e signi ican ly mo e likely o exp ess eg e o e he iming
o hei i s sexual in e cou se expe ience. The GUI su ey did no collec
in o ma ion on he easons o such eg e . Howe e , p e ious esea ch (Lay e and
McGee, 2007) poin s o he ole o con ex and ci cums ances in eg e : in
pa icula , no being in a s eady ela ionship, i being a spu o he momen
decision a he han planned, and eeling coe ced.28 In e ms o con acep i e use
a i s sex, he e was e idence ha hose who had discussed sex and ela ionships
wi h hei pa en s a age 13 we e signi ican ly mo e likely o ha e used
con acep ion a i s sex. In con as , hose mainly elian on hei iends as a
sou ce o in o ma ion on sex had lowe le els o con acep i e use a i s sex.
Howe e , wi h he p e alence o con acep i e use a i s sex a nea ly 90 pe cen ,
i was pe haps unsu p ising ha so ew a iables eme ged as signi ican p edic o s
o con acep i e use a i s sex.
28 In his con ex , i should be no ed ha he GUI ques ionnai e asked only abou ‘ hings which happened wi h you
consen ’.

52 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
The e was no signi ican school-le el a ia ion in sexual compe ence. Simila ly, o
hose who a e cu en ly sexually ac i e, he e was no signi ican school-le el
a ia ion in use o condoms and/o con acep ion and he iming o RSE was no
associa ed wi h use o con acep ion. Howe e , young people who had highe
le els o academic achie emen we e less likely o exp ess eg e o e he iming
o sexual ini ia ion and we e mo e likely o use condoms o o he con acep ion a
i s sex and/o cu en ly. While nea ly 90 pe cen o young people epo ed using
con acep ion he i s ime hey had sex, o hose who we e cu en ly sexually
ac i e, his p opo ion had d opped o below 80 pe cen .
5.2 STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS
I is wo h highligh ing he s eng hs and limi a ions o his analysis be o e
discussing he main esul s and in e ing implica ions o policy and p ac ice.
Fi s , in e ms o limi a ions, he da a a e all sel - epo ed, by ei he he young
pe son o hei pa en s. The po en ial o ecall and social desi abili y bias
associa ed wi h sel - epo ed da a on sexual beha iou is well documen ed
(DiClemen e e al., 2013). Howe e , he use o a sel -comple ion ques ionnai e
o ma in GUI maximises esponse a es, while also allowing o esponden s o
answe u h ully in a con iden ial se ing.29 A compa ison o da a on he
p opo ion o young people who ha e epo ed ha ing had sex by age 17 om GUI
shows good ag eemen wi h da a epo ed in o he su eys in I eland (and
elsewhe e).30
Second, he absence o da a on age o sexual ini ia ion p e en ed us om analysing
ea ly sexual ini ia ion, i s an eceden s and i s consequences. In pa icula ,
in o ma ion on ea ly ini ia ion would ha e been use ul in unde s anding a ia ion
in sexual compe ence a i s sex, as p e ious esea ch has demons a ed ha
ea lie ini ia ion is associa ed wi h lowe le els o sexual compe ence (Wellings e
al., 2001).
29 Using a ‘common coho analysis’ on NATSAL 2 and NATSAL 3, P ah e al. (2014) ind ha changes in he epo ing o
sexual beha iou s and a i udes o e ime obse ed in he wide NATSAL 3 s udy la gely e lec ed eal changes in
beha iou s a he han ecall o o he ypes o bias (e.g. social desi abili y). Whe e any di e ences we e obse ed, hey
we e mo e p onounced o women, bu in he opposi e di ec ion o wha migh be expec ed om inc eased libe al
social a i udes (e.g. women we e less likely in NATSAL 3 han in NATSAL 2 o say ha hey had a child be o e he age
o 20).
30 The 2010 HBSC s udy ound ha among hose aged 15–18 yea s, 27 pe cen o men and 16 pe cen o women we e
‘sexually ini ia ed’ (based on a posi i e esponse o he ques ion ‘ha e you e e had sexual in e cou se?’). Da a om
he ISSHR indica e ha he median age o sexual ini ia ion o hose aged 18–24 yea s in 2004 was 17 (whe eas o
hose aged 60–64 i was 22/23) (Lay e e al., 2006). Da a om he Longi udinal S udy o Aus alian Child en (LSAC),
which uses a simila esea ch design o GUI, show ha one hi d o 16–17-yea -olds had had sexual in e cou se (Wa en
and Swami, 2019).
Discussion and policy implica ions | 53
Thi d, as no ed, GUI con ains in o ma ion on only wo o he ou componen s o
sexual compe ence, namely iming eg e and con acep i e use, meaning ha a
di ec compa ison wi h exis ing esea ch using NATSAL could no be unde aken.
Simila ly, while GUI con ains da a on RSE eceip , no in o ma ion is a ailable on he
quan i y o quali y o p o ision, an issue discussed u he below. In he GUI s udy,
young people we e no di ec ly asked abou po nog aphy as a sou ce o
in o ma ion on sex ( hough some may ha e included i unde ‘ he in e ne ’).
Howe e , h ee yea s la e , almos wo- hi ds (64 pe cen ) o males om his
coho epo ed using he in e ne o po nog aphy (compa ed o 13 pe cen o
emales). Finally, sample size es ic ions p e en ed us om disagg ega ing hese
pa e ns by he young pe son’s sexual o ien a ion.
Despi e hese limi a ions, i is impo an o highligh ha he in o ma ion collec ed
in GUI ep esen s he i s ime ha comp ehensi e in o ma ion on how young
people lea n abou sex and ela ionships, and whe he hey make posi i e and
heal hy sexual heal h choices, is a ailable om a na ionally ep esen a i e sample
o young adul s. While he HBSC su eys collec aluable in o ma ion on sexual
heal h and beha iou s, he da a a e limi ed o hose a ending school; GUI cap u es
all young people, e en hose who ha e le school. In addi ion, he a ailabili y o
da a on RSE, pa en al discussions and in o ma ion sou ces a wo ime poin s (age
13 and age 17) allows us o iden i y po en ially ulne able g oups who ha e no
ecei ed any in o ma ion, o delayed in o ma ion, on sex and ela ionships a age
17. The a ailabili y o de ailed longi udinal da a on di e en dimensions o young
people’s li es (demog aphic cha ac e is ics, amily backg ound, cogni i e skills and
school-le el ac o s) acili a es an analysis o he ela i e impo ance o hese
ac o s o he a ie y o ou comes conside ed in his s udy. The exis ence o
comp ehensi e da a on he young pe son’s second-le el school also allows o he
use o mul ile el analysis o examine he ole, i any, o school-le el cha ac e is ics
in in luencing RSE eceip in pa icula .
5.3 DISCUSSION AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS
5.3.1 Compa a i e indings
While i is di icul o compa e he indings in his epo wi h exis ing I ish and
in e na ional esea ch due o di e ences in da a sou ces, su ey me hods, a iable
de ini ions and e e ence pe iods, a numbe o b oad obse a ions can be made.
Fi s , i appea s as i I ish pa en s a e mo e willing han in he pas o alk o hei
adolescen child en abou sex and ela ionship issues. A age 17, 53 pe cen o
young men and 66 pe cen o young women in he GUI coho epo ed ha hey
had discussed sex and ela ionship issues wi h hei pa en s; da a om he 2004
ISSHR s udy showed ha among men aged 18–24, jus 21 pe cen had ecei ed
sex educa ion in he home, al hough he p opo ion among women was highe a
54 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
38 pe cen . Second, he clea gende di ide in expe ience o eg e o e he iming
o i s sex epo ed in his s udy is eplica ed in p e ious esea ch in I eland and
in e na ionally. Fo example, da a om he UK NATSAL 3 s udy (ca ied ou o e
he pe iod 2010-2012) ound ha 40 pe cen o women and 27 pe cen o men
aged 17–24 epo ed ha i s sex had no occu ed a he igh ime (Palme e
al., 2019). Lay e e al. (2006) ound ha less han 20 pe cen o men bu a ound a
qua e o women aged 18–24 eg e ed he iming o hei i s sexual expe ience.
Finally, in e ms o sexual heal h beha iou s, ou indings in ela ion o
con acep i e use a i s sex (which was epo ed by 90 pe cen o he GUI coho
who had had sex) a e in b oad ag eemen wi h p e ious da a in I eland om
Heal hy I eland (Depa men o Heal h, 2015a) and ISSHR (Lay e e al., 2006).
Compa ing s a is ics on condom use is mo e di icul , gi en di e ences in he
unde lying ques ion used o ga he he da a in s udies such as he HBSC (Young e
al., 2018) and Heal hy I eland (Depa men o Heal h, 2015a).
5.3.2 Policy implica ions
Focusing i s on RSE, he indings indica e ha by age 17, o e 90 pe cen o young
men and women ha e ecei ed RSE a school. A age 13, jus o e hal had ecei ed
RSE. Schools di e in he iming o RSE p o ision, bu no o easons o school size,
e hos o gende mix, sugges ing ha policy and leade ship a he school le el play
an impo an ole in he iming o RSE p o ision. This is consis en wi h p e ious
I ish esea ch, which highligh ed he impo ance o school leade ship and eache
p o essional de elopmen in success ul RSE p o ision (Mayock e al., 2007) bu
poin ed o cons ain s in he o m o eache discom o , he low s a us o SPHE,
exam p essu es and a signi ican eliance on ex e nal p o ide s o RSE classes
(NCCA, 2008; DES, 2009, 2013, 2017).
The s udy indings poin o li le ela ionship be ween ecei ing RSE o no and
young people’s sexual beha iou and compe ence. Howe e , as discussed abo e,
GUI did no collec in o ma ion on he quan i y o , pe haps mo e impo an ly, he
quali y o he sex educa ion ecei ed. The equi emen wi hin second-le el
educa ion is o six RSE class sessions as pa o SPHE pe yea . E idence sugges s
ha only a qua e o schools a e mee ing his a ge (DES, 2017).31 Consul a ion
unde aken o he NCCA e iew o RSE has highligh ed some issues a ound he
quali y o p o ision. Young people we e especially c i ical o he ocus on biological
p ocesses o he neglec o b oade issues o ela ionships and emo ions, alongside
a conce n wi h isks a he han a posi i e iew o sexual ela ionships (NCCA,
2019a, 2019b; see also Hyde and Howle , 2004).32 The e iew highligh ed he
31 This is based on he online Li e Skills su ey o schools conduc ed by DES in 2015; he esponse a e o second-le el
schools was 33 pe cen .
32 Quali a i e esea ch in I eland has also indica ed ha pa en –child discussion ends o ocus on isks a he han
emo ions o sexual pleasu e (Hyde e al., 2009).
Discussion and policy implica ions | 55
impo ance o p o ision being s uden -cen ed, holis ic, inclusi e,
age/de elopmen ally app op ia e and based on a whole-school app oach. I
indica ed he need o c ea e an in eg a ed cu iculum o SPHE/RSE as one subjec
and o e iew he con en o , and ime alloca ed o, his domain. Add essing
consen and di e si y we e seen as key componen s o a e amed cu iculum.
School leade ship and eache p o essional de elopmen we e highligh ed as
c ucial ing edien s in he success ul implemen a ion o RSE.
The e iew o RSE and he b oade con ex o he F amewo k o Junio Cycle (DES,
2015), which designa ed wellbeing as a new a ea o lea ning a Junio Cycle wi h
400 ime abled hou s, p o ides an oppo uni y o econside he place o RSE
wi hin he b oade cu iculum. The emphasis o he Wellbeing Policy S a emen
and F amewo k o P ac ice 2018–2023 (DES, 2018) is on a whole-school app oach
o p omo ing wellbeing, which could be used o mo e away om a ea men o
sex educa ion as a ‘s and-alone’ se o classes o looking a sexual wellbeing as pa
o b oade physical and psychological wellbeing.
Howe e , he e is a limi o wha e en in ensi e, high-quali y school-based sex
educa ion can achie e. As no ed by Hi s (2008), RSE is only one aspec o he
po olio o skills and compe encies ha can assis young people o p o ec hei
sexual heal h and ensu e posi i e sexual expe iences ( oge he wi h, o ins ance,
a s ong sense o agency, communica ion be ween sexual pa ne s and access o
sexual heal h se ices). The Na ional Sexual Heal h S a egy highligh s he
esponsibili y o pa en s in p o iding hei child en wi h he in o ma ion, educa ion
and suppo necessa y o p epa e hem o a li e ime o posi i e sexual heal h and
wellbeing, asking he HSE, he Depa men o Child en and You h A ai s and
pa en s’ o ganisa ions wi h p o iding suppo s and esou ces o pa en s in
engaging wi h his ole. Ou esea ch shows ha he quali y o he ela ionship
be ween pa en s and hei child en is a key de e minan o bo h whe he
discussions abou sex and ela ionships ake place and how easy young people ind
i o speak o hei pa en s abou sex. In his con ex , he e may be lessons om
ini ia i es elsewhe e designed o os e communica ion be ween pa en s and
child en abou sex (see o example Kes e on and Coleman, 2010;33 Schus e e
al., 200834). In I eland, he HSE Sexual Heal h and C isis P egnancy P og amme has
websi es (b4udecide.ie and sexualwellbeing.ie) p o iding in o ma ion o pa en s,
among o he s, and links o aining p og ammes o e ed by he I ish Family
Planning Associa ion and he Na ional Pa en s’ Council P ima y. B oade ini ia i es
33 The Family Planning Associa ion Speakeasy cou se in he UK was designed o be deli e ed in local communi y se ings
o suppo pa en al con idence and knowledge in speaking o hei child en abou sex. Resea ch poin ed o an inc ease
in sel - epo ed knowledge, con idence and openness a e aking he cou se (Kes e on and Coleman, 2010), which is
also un by he I ish Family Planning Associa ion.
34 A andomised con ol ial o he Talking Pa en s, Heal hy Teens ound ha he p o ision o eigh one-hou sessions
deli e ed a wo kplaces o pa en s o 11–15-yea -olds esul ed in g ea e abili y o communica e and mo e open
discussion a ound sex (Schus e e al., 2008).
62 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
TABLE A4 LOGIT REGRESSION MODEL OF PARENT/CHILD DISCUSSIONS ABOUT SEX, AGES 13
AND 17 (ODDS RATIOS)
Age 13 Age 17
Female 1.46***
1.13
Age a ime o su ey 1.02
1.10
Has a SEN 0.77
1.02
Mo he ’s educa ion ( e . lowe second-le el o less)
Uppe second-le el 0.99
0.94
Pos -seconda y 1.33*
1.18
Deg ee o highe 1.39*
1.05
Household equi alised income ( e . lowes quin ile)
2nd quin ile 0.86
1.01
3 d quin ile 1.02
0.99
4 h quin ile 1.21
1.01
5 h (highes ) quin ile 1.34*
0.99
Mig an amily 1.15
1.21
Lone-pa en amily 1.15
1.53**
Ru al a ea ( e . u ban) 1.09
0.88
In second yea ( e . i s yea ) -0.02
n/a
School s age ( e . 5 h yea ) n/a
6 h yea n/a
0.88
Le school n/a
1.05
Pian a PCG – closeness (age 13) 1.04**
1.02
Pian a PCG – con lic (age 13) 1.00
1.00
S a in–Ke PCG – moni o ing (age 13) 0.99
1.01
S a in–Ke young pe son – disclosu e (age 13) 1.01
1.02
PCG ne wo k o ela ionship – in imacy (age 17) n/a
1.41***
PCG ne wo k o ela ionship – con lic (age 17) n/a
1.00
Had eached pube y a 13 1.38***
1.32**
McFadden pseudo R2 0.02
0.09
Numbe o young people 4665
4250
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (age 13) and 3 (age 17).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10.

Appendix | 63
TABLE A5 LOGIT REGRESSION MODEL OF ‘NEVER DISCUSSED SEX/RELATIONSHIP ISSUES WITH
PARENTS AT AGES 13 OR 17 (ODDS RATIOS)
Ma ginal e ec s
Female 0.84†
Age a ime o su ey 0.91
Has a SEN 0.94
Mo he ’s educa ion ( e . lowe second-le el o less)
Uppe second-le el 1.18
Pos -seconda y 0.98
Deg ee o highe 0.95
Household equi alised income ( e . Lowes quin ile)
2nd quin ile 0.89
3 d quin ile 0.95
4 h quin ile 0.78
5 h (highes ) quin ile 0.75†
Mig an amily 0.75*
Lone pa en amily 0.54***
Ru al a ea ( e . u ban) 0.99
School s age ( e . 5 h yea )
6 h yea 1.18
Le school 0.98
Pian a PCG – closeness (age 13) 0.96*
Pian a PCG – con lic (age 13) 1.00
S a in–Ke PCG – moni o ing (age 13) 1.00
S a in–Ke young pe son – disclosu e (age 13) 0.98
PCG ne wo k o ela ionship – in imacy (age 17) 0.73***
PCG ne wo k o ela ionship – con lic (age 17) 0.93**
Had eached pube y a 13 0.70***
McFadden pseudo R2 0.08
Numbe o young people 4364
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (age 13) and 3 (age 17).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10.
64 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
TABLE A6 MULTILEVEL LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODEL OF LIKELIHOOD OF A 13-YEAR-OLD NOT
HAVING RECEIVED SCHOOL-BASED RELATIONSHIPS AND SEXUALITY EDUCATION OR
DISCUSSED SEX WITH THEIR PARENTS (ODDS RATIOS)
Coe icien s
Fixed e ec s
Female 0.728**
Age a ime o su ey 0.607†
Has a SEN 0.748
Mo he ’s educa ion ( e . Lowe seconda y o less)
Uppe second-le el 0.845
Pos -seconda y 0.864
Deg ee o highe 0.699**
Household equi alised income: ( e . Lowes quin ile)
2nd quin ile 0.902
3 d quin ile 1.021
4 h quin ile 0.973
5 h (highes ) quin ile 0.757*
Mig an amily 0.995
Lone-pa en amily 0.716**
Ru al a ea ( e . u ban) 1.081
In second yea ( e . i s yea ) 0.508***
DEIS school 0.848
Fee-paying school 0.911
Gende mix o he school ( e . coeduca ional)
Single-sex boys’ 1.042
Single-sex gi ls’ 0.833
School size ( e . <200)
200–399 1.062
400–599 1.042
600+ 0.881
School sec o ( e . olun a y seconda y)
ETB 1.038
Communi y/comp ehensi e 0.961
School has Roman Ca holic e hos 1.148
Random e ec s
Be ween-school a ia ion 0.175***
McFadden pseudo R2 0.10
Numbe o schools 589
Numbe o young people 4090
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (13 yea s) and 3 (17 yea s).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10.
Appendix | 65
TABLE A7 LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODEL OF RECEIVING SCHOOL-BASED RSE ONLY AT AGE 17
(ODDS RATIOS)
Coe icien s
Cons an 1.915
Female 0.598***
Age a ime o su ey 0.768
Has a SEN 1.048
Mo he ’s educa ion: ( e . lowe seconda y o less)
Uppe second-le el 0.946
Pos -seconda y 0.897
Deg ee o highe 0.989
Household equi alised income: ( e . Lowes quin ile)
2nd quin ile 0.918
3 d quin ile 0.664***
4 h quin ile 0.732**
5 h (highes ) quin ile 0.660***
Mig an amily 0.993
Lone-pa en amily 0.748**
Ru al a ea ( e . u ban) 1.155*
In second yea ( e . i s yea ) 1.029
DEIS school 0.946
Fee-paying school 1.163
Gende mix o he school ( e . coeduca ional)
Single-sex boys’ 1.048
Single-sex gi ls’ 1.011
School size ( e . <200)
200–399 1.225
400–599 1.102
600+ 1.084
School sec o ( e . olun a y seconda y)
ETB 1.441
Communi y/comp ehensi e 1.619*
School has Roman Ca holic e hos 1.735**
McFadden pseudo R2 0.10
Numbe o schools 603
Numbe o young people 5018
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (13 yea s) and 3 (17 yea s).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10.
66 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
TABLE A8 LOGIT REGRESSION MODEL OF EASE OF DISCUSSING SEX WITH PARENTS, AGE 17
(ODDS RATIOS)
Mo he Fa he
Female 1.50***
0.17***
Age a ime o su ey 0.93
1.10
Has a SEN 1.14
1.02
Mo he ’s educa ion ( e . lowe seconda y o
less)
Uppe second-le el 1.10
1.29
Pos -seconda y 0.84
0.79
Deg ee o highe 1.01
0.98
Household equi alised income ( e . lowes
quin ile)
2nd quin ile 1.01
0.79
3 d quin ile 0.90
0.46***
4 h quin ile 0.80
0.64†
5 h (highes ) quin ile 0.73†
0.81
Mig an amily 1.04
0.95
Lone-pa en amily 1.75***
0.83
Ru al a ea ( e . u ban) 0.98
0.95
School s age ( e . 5 h yea )
6 h yea 1.04
1.15
Le school 1.25
1.13
Pian a PCG/SCG – closeness (age 13) 1.02
1.06*
Pian a PCG/SCG – con lic (age 13) 1.01
1.02†
S a in–Ke PCG/SCG– moni o ing (age 13) 1.00
0.99
S a in–Ke young pe son – disclosu e (age
13) 1.02
1.01
PCG/SCG ne wo k o ela ionship – in imacy
(age 17) 1.60***
1.29***
PCG/SCG ne wo k o ela ionship – con lic
(age 17) 0.85***
0.81***
Had eached pube y a 13 1.20
0.97
McFadden pseudo R2 0.17
0.13
Numbe o young people 4181
3824
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa e 3 (age 17).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10. Fo he a he s’ models, he Pian a, S a in–Ke and ne wo k o ela ionship
in en o y measu es a e hose eco ded by he seconda y ca egi e (SCG) (gene ally he a he ).
Appendix | 67
TABLE A9 LOGIT REGRESSION MODEL OF MOTHER’S REPORTS OF DISCUSSIONS WITH YOUNG
PERSON AT AGE 17 (ODDS RATIOS)
Sexual
in e cou se
Sexual
eelings/
ela ionships
Con acep ion Sa e sex Sexual
o ien a ion
Female 1.42***
1.42**
1.58***
1.47***
1.57***
Age a ime o su ey 1.18
1.05
0.76*
0.96
0.96
Has a SEN 1.16
0.86
0.87
0.97
0.98
Mo he ’s educa ion ( e . lowe
seconda y o less)
Uppe second-le el 1.23
1.18
0.81
1.09
1.34*
Pos -seconda y 1.73**
1.72**
0.89
1.04
1.49**
Deg ee o highe 1.77***
1.71**
0.84
1.06
1.74***
Household equi alised income
( e . Lowes quin ile)
2nd quin ile 1.29
1.22
1.18
1.13
1.37†
3 d quin ile 1.29
1.31
1.06
1.17
1.21
4 h quin ile 1.20
1.16
1.05
1.02
1.23
5 h (highes ) quin ile 1.14
1.04
1.01
1.00
1.17
Mig an amily 0.86
0.69*
0.80
0.85
0.83
Lone pa en amily 1.25
1.31
1.77***
1.90***
1.82***
Ru al a ea ( e . u ban) 0.98
0.97
1.02
1.00
0.91
School s age ( e . 5 h yea )
6 h yea 0.93
0.91
1.04
1.00
0.96
Le school 0.83
0.80
1.38†
1.26
0.81
Pian a PCG – closeness (age 13) 1.02
1.07***
1.06***
1.06**
1.06***
Pian a PCG – con lic (age 13) 0.99
1.00
1.01
1.00
1.00
S a in–Ke PCG – moni o ing
(age 13) 1.01
1.00
1.02
1.01
1.00
S a in–Ke young pe son –
disclosu e (age 13) 1.02
1.02†
1.01
1.04**
1.06†
PCG ne wo k o ela ionship –
in imacy (age 17) 1.09***
1.20***
1.12***
1.11***
1.42***
PCG ne wo k o ela ionship –
con lic (age 17) 1.10**
1.10***
1.07*
1.06*
0.01*
Had eached pube y a 13 1.40***
1.43**
1.62***
1.40***
-0.07***
McFadden pseudo R2 0.04
0.06
0.06
0.05
0.04
Numbe o young people 4317
4315
4313
4311
4312
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa e 3 (age 17).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10.

68 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
TABLE A10 LOGIT REGRESSION MODEL OF FATHERS’ REPORTS OF DISCUSSIONS WITH YOUNG
PERSON AT AGE 17 (ODDS RATIOS)
Sexual
in e cou se
Sexual
eelings/
ela ionships
Con acep ion Sa e sex Sexual
o ien a ion
Female 0.30***
0.60***
0.34***
0.37***
0.69***
Age a ime o su ey 1.11
1.14
1.02
1.00
1.00
Has a SEN 0.95
1.21
0.97
1.17
1.11
Mo he ’s educa ion ( e . lowe
seconda y o less)
Uppe second-le el 0.85
0.95
0.81
0.75
0.93
Pos -seconda y 1.13
0.97
0.72
0.68†
0.90
Deg ee o highe 1.27
1.37
0.80
0.89
1.05
Household equi alised income
( e . lowes quin ile)
2nd quin ile 1.37
1.08
1.07
1.49†
1.23
3 d quin ile 1.84**
1.45†
1.55†
1.45
1.53*
4 h quin ile 1.43
1.06
1.02
1.03
1.31
5 h (highes ) quin ile 1.70*
1.32
1.28
1.31
1.47†
Mig an amily 1.14
1.27
1.11
1.23
1.28
Ru al a ea ( e . u ban) 0.67***
0.64***
0.62***
0.67***
0.66***
School s age ( e . 5 h yea )
6 h yea 1.16
1.11
1.11
0.98
1.04
Le school 1.56*
1.00
1.27
1.26
1.42†
Pian a SCG – closeness (age 13) 1.05*
1.06***
1.04*
1.03
1.07***
Pian a SCG – con lic (age 13) 1.01
1.01
1.02
1.02†
1.01
S a in–Ke SCG – moni o ing
(age 13) 1.07***
1.04**
1.03†
1.04**
1.04*
S a in–Ke young pe son –
disclosu e (age 13) 1.00
1.02
1.01
1.02
1.01
SCG ne wo k o ela ionship –
in imacy (age 17) 1.13***
1.16***
1.18***
1.17***
1.13***
SCG ne wo k o ela ionship –
con lic (age 17) 1.05
0.98
1.01
1.02
1.00
Had eached pube y a 13 1.09
1.11
1.21
0.24
1.29*
McFadden pseudo R2 0.09
0.05
0.08
0.07
0.05
Numbe o young people 2602
2603
2603
2603
2603
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa e 3 (age 17).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10.
Appendix | 69
TABLE A11 MULTINOMIAL LOGIT REGRESSION MODEL OF MAIN SOURCE OF INFORMATION ON
SEX, AGE 13 (ODDS RATIOS, RELATIVE TO PARENTS/FAMILY)
F iends Teache In e ne /
TV/books/
ilms
Nowhe e
Female 0.72**
0.59***
0.51***
0.59***
Age a ime o su ey 1.70
0.95
2.24
1.14
Has a SEN 0.67†
0.86
0.55
1.39
Mo he ’s educa ion ( e . lowe seconda y o less)
Uppe second-le el 1.55*
1.56*
1.53
0.93
Pos -seconda y 1.22
1.31
2.36**
0.74
Deg ee o highe 1.27
1.49
1.37
0.93
Household equi alised income ( e . lowes
quin ile)
2nd quin ile 0.83
1.40
0.98
0.94
3 d quin ile 0.94
0.90
1.20
0.63*
4 h quin ile 0.99
0.83
1.34
0.74
5 h (highes ) quin ile 1.23
0.86
1.74†
0.66*
Mig an amily 0.98
0.82
1.23
1.04
Lone-pa en amily 0.75†
1.08
1.37
1.16
Ru al a ea ( e . u ban) 0.83†
0.80
1.11
0.78†
In 2nd yea ( e . 1s yea ) 1.02†
1.44**
1.06
0.91
Pian a PCG – closeness (age 13) 0.92***
0.94*
0.95†
0.90***
Pian a PCG – con lic (age 13) 1.02***
0.99
1.01
1.00
S a in–Ke PCG – moni o ing (age 13) 1.02
0.97†
1.01
1.01
S a in–Ke young pe son – disclosu e (age 13) 1.01
1.01
1.01
1.01
Pee ela ionships – aliena ion (age 13) 1.02
0.97
1.04*
1.00
Pee ela ionships – us (age 13) 0.99
1.00
0.96*
0.97**
Had eached pube y a 13 1.48***
0.85
1.21
0.65***
McFadden pseudo R2 0.04
Numbe o young people 4594
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa e 2 (age 13).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10.
70 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
TABLE A12 MULTINOMIAL LOGIT REGRESSION MODEL OF MAIN SOURCE OF INFORMATION ON
SEX, AGE 17 (ODDS RATIOS, RELATIVE TO PARENTS/FAMILY)
F iends Teache In e ne /
TV/Books/
Films
Nowhe e
Female 0.96
0.71†
0.89
0.61†
Age a ime o su ey 0.98
0.74
1.05
0.78
Has a SEN 0.55**
1.26
0.49*
0.77
Mo he ’s educa ion ( e . Lowe seconda y o
less)
Uppe second-le el 0.96
0.64†
0.75
1.68
Pos -seconda y 1.13
0.59†
0.83
1.22
Deg ee o highe 1.33
0.69
1.04
2.14†
Household equi alised income ( e . Lowes
quin ile)
2nd quin ile 0.97
1.15
1.61†
1.18
3 d quin ile 1.10
0.77
2.04**
1.21
4 h quin ile 1.21
1.53
2.21**
1.12
5 h (highes ) quin ile 1.30
0.91
2.16**
0.92
Mig an amily 0.74†
0.75
1.00
1.01
Lone-pa en amily 0.66*
0.63†
0.94
0.72
Ru al a ea ( e . u ban) 0.85
0.84
1.13
1.16
School s age ( e . 5 h yea )
6 h yea 1.26
0.86
1.39*
1.74†
Le school 1.06
0.67
0.90
2.51*
Pian a PCG – closeness (age 13) 0.97
0.99
0.95†
1.01
Pian a PCG – con lic (age 13) 0.99
0.98
0.98
1.04†
S a in–Ke PCG – moni o ing (age 13) 0.99
0.99
1.00
0.99
S a in–Ke young pe son – disclosu e (age 13) 0.99
1.02
1.00
0.96
PCG ne wo k o ela ionship – in imacy (age 17) 0.68***
0.75***
0.69***
0.66***
PCG ne wo k o ela ionship – con lic (age 17) 1.08*
1.03
1.09†
0.74**
Pee ela ionships – aliena ion (age 13) 1.01
0.98
1.04†
0.99
Pee ela ionships – us (age 13) 1.01
1.00
1.00
0.96*
Had eached pube y a 13 1.10
0.69†
1.43**
0.94
McFadden pseudo R2 0.06
Numbe o young people 3786
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa e 3 (age 17).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10.
Appendix | 71
TABLE A13 LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODELS OF INDICATING TEACHER WAS THE MAIN SOURCE OF
INFORMATION ON RELATIONSHIPS/SEX AT AGES 13 AND 17 (ODDS RATIOS)
Age 13 Age 17
Cons an 0.006
27.605
Female 0.623**
0.823
Age a ime o su ey 1.465
0.551
Has a SEN 0.845
1.610*
Mo he ’s educa ion ( e . lowe seconda y o less)
Uppe second-le el 0.956
0.828
Pos -seconda y 0.969
0.946
Deg ee o highe 1.030
0.629
Household equi alised income ( e . lowes quin ile)
2nd quin ile 0.805
0.970
3 d quin ile 1.099
0.624
4 h quin ile 0.821
0.868
5 h (highes ) quin ile 0.712
0.801
Mig an amily 0.959
0.905
Lone-pa en amily 0.861
0.479**
Ru al a ea ( e . u ban) 0.815
–0.295*
In second yea ( e . i s yea ) 1.399**
In six h yea ( e . i h yea )
0.765
Le school
0.576*
DEIS school 0.759
1.158
Fee-paying school 1.334
0.649
Gende mix o he school: ( e . coeduca ional)
Single-sex boys’ 0.676
0.796
Single-sex gi ls’ 1.156
0.910
School size ( e . <200)
200–399 0.789
0.967
400–599 0.746
1.223
600+ 0.734
0.978
School sec o ( e . olun a y seconda y)
ETB 1.492
1.728
Communi y/comp ehensi e 1.394
2.123
School has Roman Ca holic e hos 1.376
1.694
McFadden pseudo R2 0.01
0.03
Numbe o young people 6644
6695
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (age 13) and 3 (age 17).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10.
78 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
TABLE A17 MULTILEVEL LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODEL OF USE OF CONTRACEPTION AT FIRST
SEXUAL INTERCOURSE (ODDS RATIOS)
Coe icien s
Fixed e ec s
Female 1.035
Age a su ey 1.229
Has a SEN 1.716
Mo he ’s educa ion ( e . lowe seconda y o less)
Uppe second-le el 1.073
Pos -seconda y 1.183
Deg ee o highe 0.706
Household equi alised income ( e . lowes quin ile)
2nd quin ile 0.981
3 d quin ile 1.560
4 h quin ile 1.717
5 h (highes ) quin ile 1.373
Mig an amily 0.962
Lone-pa en amily 0.999
Li ing in a u al a ea 0.952
Six h yea 1.207
Le school 2.083†
DEIS school 0.738
Fee-paying school 0.789
Gende mix o school
Single-sex boys’ 1.197
Single-sex gi ls’ 0.991
School size
200–399 0.374
400–599 0.338
600+ 0.481
School sec o
ETB 0.855
Communi y/comp ehensi e 0.726
Roman Ca holic e hos 0.744
Receip o RSE
La e 1.069
Ea ly 0.649
None 1.153
Discussed sex wi h pa en s a 13 1.682*
Reached pube y by 13 1.747†

Appendix | 79
Coe icien s
Sou ce o mos in o ma ion on sex a age 13
F iends 0.596*
Teache 1.402
In e ne 0.626
Books/magazines/TV 1.822
Nowhe e 2.512†
Closeness wi h PCG 0.964
Con lic wi h PCG 0.974
Junio Ce i ica e g ade poin a e age 1.430***
Posi i e in e ac ion wi h eache s 1.018
Nega i e in e ac ion wi h eache s 0.837*
A i ude o school
Like i qui e a bi 1.020
Like i a bi 0.904
Don’ like i 1.510
Ha e i 1.597
Size o iendship ne wo k 1.046
Some iends mo e han wo yea s olde 0.829
Mos /all iends mo e han wo yea s olde 1.293
Mos /all iends ha e had sex 0.480**
Random e ec s
Be ween-school a ia ion 0.000
McFadden pseudo R2 0.40
Numbe o schools 454
Numbe o young people 1224
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (age 13) and 3 (age 17).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10.
80 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
TABLE A18 MULTILEVEL LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODEL OF REGRET AT TIMING OF FIRST SEXUAL
INTERCOURSE (ODDS RATIOS)
Coe icien
Fixed e ec s
Female 1.408†
Age a su ey 1.471
Has a SEN 0.611†
Mo he ’s educa ion ( e . lowe seconda y o less)
Uppe second-le el 0.861
Pos -seconda y 0.882
Deg ee o highe 1.122
Household equi alised income ( e . lowes quin ile)
2nd quin ile 1.471
3 d quin ile 1.443
4 h quin ile 1.022
5 h (highes ) quin ile 1.143
Mig an amily 1.121
Lone-pa en amily 0.876
Li ing in a u al a ea 0.951
Six h yea 0.952
Le school 0.910
DEIS school 1.119
Fee-paying school 1.000
Gende mix o school
Single-sex boys’ 0.757
Single-sex gi ls’ 1.182
School size
200–399 0.582
400–599 0.535
600+ 0.679
School sec o
ETB 0.759
Communi y/comp ehensi e 0.690
Roman Ca holic e hos 0.866
Receip o RSE
La e 1.133
Ea ly 0.844
None 1.281
Discussed sex wi h pa en s a 13 1.208
Reached pube y by 13 0.918
Appendix | 81
Coe icien
Sou ce o mos in o ma ion on sex a age 13
F iends 1.135
Teache 0.904
In e ne 1.380
Books/magazines/TV 0.578
Nowhe e 0.949
Closeness wi h PCG 1.014
Con lic wi h PCG 1.038**
Junio Ce i ica e g ade poin a e age 0.875*
Posi i e in e ac ion wi h eache s 0.960
Nega i e in e ac ion wi h eache s 0.982
A i ude o school
Like i qui e a bi 1.028
Like i a bi 1.468*
Don’ like i 1.169
Ha e i 1.047
Size o iendship ne wo k 1.113
Some iends mo e han wo yea s olde 1.162
Mos /all iends mo e han wo yea s olde 0.679
Mos /all iends ha e had sex 1.102
Random e ec s
Be ween-school a ia ion 0.108
McFadden pseudo R2 0.32
Numbe o schools 460
Numbe o young people 1262
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (age 13) and 3 (age 17).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10.
82 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
TABLE A19 MULTILEVEL LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODEL OF ALWAYS USING A CONDOM AT AGE 17
(ODDS RATIOS)
Coe icien
Fixed e ec s
Female 0.834
Age a su ey 0.604
Has a SEN 1.157
Mo he ’s educa ion ( e . lowe seconda y o less)
Uppe second-le el 0.975
Pos -seconda y 1.110
Deg ee o highe 1.005
Household equi alised income ( e . lowes quin ile)
2nd quin ile 0.745
3 d quin ile 0.964
4 h quin ile 0.825
5 h (highes ) quin ile 0.881
Mig an amily 0.968
Lone-pa en amily 0.776
Li ing in a u al a ea 1.239
Six h yea 0.979
Le school 0.968
DEIS school 1.029
Fee-paying school 1.230
Gende mix o school
Single-sex boys’ 1.120
Single-sex gi ls’ 1.611
School size
200–399 0.598
400–599 0.788
600+ 0.827
School sec o
ETB 1.013
Communi y/comp ehensi e 0.899
Roman Ca holic e hos 0.972
Receip o RSE
La e 1.022
Ea ly 0.899
None 1.716†
Discussed sex wi h pa en s a 13 0.873
Reached pube y by 13 0.836
Appendix | 83
Coe icien
Sou ce o mos in o ma ion on sex a age 13
F iends 0.986
Teache 1.196
In e ne 0.658
Books/magazines/TV 1.289
Nowhe e 1.251
Closeness wi h PCG 1.017
Con lic wi h PCG 0.974*
Junio Ce i ica e g ade poin a e age 1.198**
Posi i e in e ac ion wi h eache s 1.040
Nega i e in e ac ion wi h eache s 0.889*
A i ude o school
Like i qui e a bi 0.824
Like i a bi 0.934
Don’ like i 1.122
Ha e i 0.792
Size o iendship ne wo k 0.987
Some iends mo e han wo yea s olde 0.839
Mos /all iends mo e han wo yea s olde 0.696
Random e ec s
Be ween-school a ia ion 0.111
McFadden pseudo R2 0.32
Numbe o schools 457
Numbe o young people 1216
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (age 13) and 3 (age 17).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10.

84 | Talking Abou Sex and Sexual Beha iou o Young Adul s in I eland
TABLE A20 MULTILEVEL LOGISTIC REGRESSION MODEL OF ALWAYS USING CONTRACEPTION AT
AGE 17 (ODDS RATIOS)
Coe icien
Fixed e ec s
Female 1.018
Age a su ey 0.588
Has a SEN 1.181
Mo he ’s educa ion ( e . lowe seconda y o less)
Uppe second-le el 0.866
Pos -seconda y 1.111
Deg ee o highe 0.824
Household equi alised income ( e . lowes quin ile)
2nd quin ile 0.948
3 d quin ile 0.861
4 h quin ile 1.499
5 h (highes ) quin ile 1.592
Mig an amily 0.910
Lone-pa en amily 1.033
Li ing in a u al a ea 1.128
Six h yea 1.035
Le school 1.037
DEIS school 0.891
Fee-paying school 1.230
Gende mix o school:
Single-sex boys’ 1.091
Single-sex gi ls’ 1.425
School size
200–399 0.527
400–599 0.480
600+ 0.536
School sec o
ETB 1.013
Communi y/comp ehensi e 0.899
Roman Ca holic e hos 0.972
Receip o RSE
La e 1.038
Ea ly 0.580
None 3.059
Discussed sex wi h pa en s a 13 1.107
Reached pube y by 13 0.836†
Appendix | 85
Coe icien
Sou ce o mos in o ma ion on sex a age 13
F iends 0.812
Teache 0.926
In e ne 0.791
Books/magazines/TV 0.763
Nowhe e 0.985
Closeness wi h PCG 1.006
Con lic wi h PCG 0.974
Junio Ce i ica e g ade poin a e age 1.198*
Posi i e in e ac ion wi h eache s 1.037
Nega i e in e ac ion wi h eache s 1.014
A i ude o school (Re . like i e y much)
Like i qui e a bi 1.141
Like i a bi 0.934
Don’ like i 1.267
Ha e i 1.260
Size o iendship ne wo k 1.006
Some iends mo e han wo yea s olde 0.832
Mos /all iends mo e han wo yea s olde 1.334
Random e ec s
Be ween-school a ia ion 0.093
McFadden pseudo R2 0.29
Numbe o schools 449
Numbe o young people 1192
Sou ce: GUI, ‘98 Coho , wa es 2 (age 13) and 3 (age 17).
No e: *** p<.001; ** p<.01; * p<.05; † p<.10.
Re e ences | 87
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