Girls considered intimacy significantly more important than boys did. Boys reported higher expectations that sex would lead to pleasure and social status.

Of the teens who answered a question about sexual experience, 13% said they had had sex. The experienced teens considered intimacy and sexual pleasure significantly more important as a relationship goal than the inexperienced teens did.

As for social status, sexually experienced girls saw less value in that than inexperienced girls did. There was no difference of opinion about social status between experienced and inexperienced boys.

The researchers say this supports the double standard that sex improves the social status of boys but jeopardizes it for girls.

Generally, teens expected sex to help them reach goals of intimacy, pleasure, and social status. However, girls and sexually inexperienced teens had lower expectations.

Prevention Tactics

The researchers say programs to dissuade early teen sex usually focus on the negative -- the risks of STDs and pregnancy.

Teens might heed the message better, they say, if the positive expectations -- "developing a sense of intimacy, achieving social skills and goals, and experiencing sexual pleasure" -- are recognized and alternative ways to achieve those goals suggested.