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True Love Waits: Do Southern Baptists? Premarital Sexual Behavior Among Newly Married Southern Baptist Sunday School Students

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Abstract

This study measures premarital sex prevalence, sources of sex education, and support for secular sex education among 151 newly married young adults surveyed at 9 Texas Southern Baptist churches. More than 70% of respondents reported having had premarital vaginal or oral sex, but more than 80% regretted premarital sex. The proportion of premarital sex exceeded 80% in 6 of 9 churches, among men and women married after age 25 and women married before age 21. School sex education was the only source of information about sexually transmitted infections for 57% of respondents, and 65% supported secular sex education despite church opposition.

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Abbreviations

CI:

Confidence interval

STI:

Sexually transmitted infection

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral and Community Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, College Park, MD, 20742, USA

    Janet E. Rosenbaum

  2. Sexually Transmitted Disease Center, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA

    Janet E. Rosenbaum

  3. Vice President for Student Life, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, 900 College Street, Belton, TX, 76513, USA

    Byron Weathersbee

  4. Legacy Family Ministries, Waco, TX, 76712, USA

    Byron Weathersbee

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  1. Janet E. Rosenbaum
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  2. Byron Weathersbee
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Correspondence to Janet E. Rosenbaum.

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Rosenbaum, J.E., Weathersbee, B. True Love Waits: Do Southern Baptists? Premarital Sexual Behavior Among Newly Married Southern Baptist Sunday School Students. J Relig Health 52, 263–275 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-010-9445-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-010-9445-5

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