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Teen Intercourse Linked to Depression & Suicide
Teenagers who engage in sexual intercourse are more likely to suffer
from depression and attempt suicide than teens who are abstinent,
according to a study.
The findings are especially significant for young girls. About 25
percent of sexually active girls say they are depressed all, most,
or a lot of the time, compared to eight percent of girls who are
not sexually active.
The study used selected federal data on 2,800 students aged
between 14 and 17 years. The youth were not diagnosed as
clinically depressed but rather rated their own "general state of
continuing unhappiness."
Researchers noted that they did not find a causal link between
unhappiness and sexual activity, as that would be nearly
impossible to prove.
The study found that about 14 percent of girls who have had
intercourse have attempted suicide compared with five percent
of girls who have not had intercourse.
About six percent of sexually active boys have attempted suicide
compared with less than one percent of sexually inactive boys.
According to researchers, the findings send a different message
from the one portrayed by popular culture, in which "all forms of
non-marital sexual activity are wonderful and glorious, and the
younger the teen the better."
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