Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: The present study tests the assumption that peers wield sufficient influence to induce sexual homophily (i.e., similarities in sexual experiences). Because girls face greater stigma for their sexual experiences than do boys, sexual homophily may be greater in girls' friendship networks than in boys'. Stochastic actor-based models were used to analyze network data (n = 2,566; ages 14-18) from two high schools in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Sexual homophily was present in friendship networks. Girls and boys were equally susceptible to their friends' influence, but the former exhibited a stronger preference for befriending same sexual debut status peers than the latter. The findings suggest that adolescents-particularly girls-"curate" their networks to minimize peer ostracism.
Source: Child Development
DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13052
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
SDG: Gender equality
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: James S. McDonnell Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Awards: G1104044120, G1113498402, G1120543537, Carolina Population Center, G1691361433, G1789099407, Focused Training in Social Networks and Health, G2077570188, G2119057392, Duke Population Research Center, G2880708213, G2914037624, G3511106470, G394058875, The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, G4747506302, Models and Tools for Dynamic Health-Relevant Diffusion over Complex Networks, G691406053, G701078433, Carolina Population Center, G803440619, Human Development: Interdisciplinary Research Training
OpenAlex ID: W2793700756