De Relatie Tussen de Blootstelling aan Reality-tv Programma’s en de Leeftijd van het Seksuele Debuut

Abstract

The sources and content of sex-related information that adolescents receive have important implications for subsequent knowledge and behaviour (Gottfried, Vaala, Bleakley, Hennessy & Jordan, 2013). To explain the relations between the exposure to reality TV and the age of sexual debut, this study examined the extent to which Dutch Adolescents (aged 16-20 years, N = 210) were exposed to different reality TV programs and on what age they experienced their sexual debut. This study also examined whether relations were different for boys than for girls. The participants were selected from a bigger research, only the participants who had their sexual debut have been included in this study. The participants completed an online survey at school. Regarding the exposure to reality TV programs there was a slightly difference between boys and girls. Girls were more exposed to reality-tv programs in the six months before the study. There was also a relation between the exposure to reality TV programs and the age of the sexual debut. The more adolescents were exposed to reality-tv programs, the lower their age of sexual debut. Regarding to the age of sexual debut there was no difference between boys and girls. Regarding the interaction between the exposure to reality-tv programs and the age of sexual debut, there was also no significant difference between boys and girls. The participants were recruited by a convenience sample, which means that the participants were not randomly selected to participate in this study. This study also contained a small research group.