Nov 13 : The earlier you have sex, the better, suggests a new study.

The study by researchers at the University of Virginia says that, contrary to popular perception, those who have sex in their early teens may not have stepped on the path to delinquency.

Rather, they may be less inclined to exhibit delinquent behaviour than peers who waited until they were older to have sex. Early sex may help them develop better social relationships in early adulthood, says the study.

The findings have been published in the online edition of the Journal of Youth and Adolescence.

The findings contradict parts of a study published earlier this year in the same journal that found links between early teen sex and later behavioural problems.

The research team analysed data on 534 same-sex twin pairs in the US gathered at three time points over a seven-year period.

By examining surveys of twins, the investigators were able to eliminate the genetic and socio-economic variables that otherwise might influence the behaviours of adolescents.

“We got a very surprising finding, particularly that early sex seems to forecast less antisocial behaviour a few years later, rather than more,” said Kathryn Paige Harden, the study’s lead author.

She said that there is a “cultural assumption” that if teens have sex early it is somehow bad for their psychological health.

“But we actually found that teens who had sex earlier seem to have better relationships later. Now we want to find out why,” she added.

Harden said that people assume there is an association between early sex and delinquency because “teen sex transgresses parental expectations” and is seen as impulsive.

“But people’s concerns about early sex leading to delinquency may not be warranted.”

Harden acknowledged that early adolescent sexuality is linked to early pregnancy and disease, but said these risks are not inevitable.

In Australia, for instance, there are similar rates and patterns of teen sexual activity as in the US, but drastically lower rates of teen pregnancy, she pointed out.

She attributed this to the poor level of sexual health knowledge in the US, ineffective contraceptive use and lower abortion rates. (IANS)