Background:

Adolescents who engage in sexual activity in a non-romantic relationship may develop patterns of sexual activity that lead to negative health outcomes such as unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and increased exposure to multiple sexual partners.

Objective:

To analyze the association between sexual initiation in the context of non-romantic relationship and risk behaviors in sexual and reproductive health in adolescents.

Method:

Cross-sectional and analytical study in a teenage population of both sexes. We compared adolescents who initiated sexual activity in a context of romantic relationships and those who did it in a non-romantic context. The association between age at sexual initiation, number of sexual partners, use of contraceptive method and selected personal and family variables was analyzed.

Results:

3,565 adolescents who had initiated sexual intercourse were interviewed.

The personal and family variables associated with sexual initiation in a non-romantic context are: having a basic schooling, a lower grade point average and repeating background, and academic projects finishing secondary or high school, bad family relationships, and family dysfunction. The risk behaviors in sexual health in adolescents of both sexes who initiated sexual activity in a context of non-romantic relationship were: sexual debut earlier, no use of contraceptive methods and greater number of sexual partners.

Conclusion:

The beginning of sexual activity in a non-romantic context exposes adolescents to risk behaviors in their sexual and reproductive health.

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