Having sex at a very early age has long been linked to a plethora of health and psychological problems, such as increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases, feelings of guilt and shame, through to an increased risk of cancer.

But now, a new study by researchers at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute’s HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies suggests that those who have sex later, especially men, seem to experience more sexual dysfunction in later life.

The study, which will appear in the January 2008 issue of the American Journal of Public Health claims that waiting too long to have sex may carry its own risks.

Those who lose their virginity at a late age (around 21 to 23 years old) tend to be more likely to experience sexual dysfunction problems later in life. More specifically, the study seems to indicate that men who lost their virginity in their 20s appeared to have more of a tendency to experience sexual problems such as difficulty becoming aroused and reaching orgasm. The researchers also noted that similar tendencies tended to be present in men who had lost their virginity comparatively early, and pointed out that there is not enough evidence to claim that waiting to have sex leads to sexual dysfunction, and further research is needed to determine if a causal interpretation can be made.

The study looked at data from the 1996 National Sexual Health Survey, conducted by the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) at the University of California, San Francisco. This survey also showed that men and women who lost their virginity in their early teens had more problems; this group was more likely to choose risky sexual partners, to contract sexually transmitted diseases, and to have sex while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Looking at this information another way, perhaps the reason that people delay having sex to a late age is because of existing problems; such as unrealistic expectations about sex, avoidance of intimacy, avoidance of the opposite sex, lack of hygiene, low self-esteem, extreme shyness or possibly even more severe problems like Agoraphobia etc. These reasons and a host of others could make it much harder for someone to meet a partner, develop an emotional connection with them, and then have sex with them. Thus, the fact that they had sex later would not be the cause of the problem, but part of a larger behaviour pattern. So, there may simply be factors common to both late sexual debut, and the onset of sexual dysfunction.

Correlation does not imply causation, and thus it would be silly to suggest that teenage boys should employ a prostitute, in the hope of preventing a late first sexual experience and thereby avoiding later sexual problems.

It should also be noted that society imposes different cultural ideals on men to women. So, females would typically be told that “Good girls” don’t have (or enjoy) sex until marriage, which might cause them to shut down sexually. While males would typically be told that “Real men” should fuck as much and as often as possible, which could put them under undue pressure to perform.

Both are mindsets which could ultimately lead to sexual problems.

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Posted by Jonathan in Psychology, Sociology