What do skipping school, failing tests and engaging in risky sexual behavior have in common? A lot, according to I.U. researchers who combed through 80,000 daily reports written by 14- to 17-year-old girls. During the study, the teens entered their daily activities and mood into a log. The results: More frequent sex… and frequently without condoms for girls on weekdays when school was skipped as compared to when school was attended. Emotionally, young women reported higher levels of negative mood, sexual interest and feeling in love, and lower levels of positive mood, on weekdays when they skipped school OR failed a test. The study authors say the results also support the belief that if a boyfriend pressures a young woman to skip school, that same pressure could influence her to allow sex without a condom.
