{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,7]],"date-time":"2026-02-07T22:58:28Z","timestamp":1770505108540,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":9,"publisher":"BMJ","issue":"1","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care"],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2005,9,23]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2006,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Objectives<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>To evaluate demographic and behavioural characteristics of sexually active women compared to those who had abstained from intercourse in the past 6 months.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>The study participants were women of childbearing age from six sites in three states in the USA. Survey questions were asked of women who were not surgically sterile and who had not gone through menopause. The main outcome measures were correlates of sexual abstinence.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Of the 1801 respondents, 244 (14%) reported abstaining from intercourse in the past 6 months. Univariate analysis revealed that abstinent women were less likely than sexually active women to have used illicit drugs [odds ratio (OR) 0.47; 95% CI 0.35\u20130.63], to have been physically abused (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.31\u20130.64), to be current smokers (OR 0.59, 95% CI 0.45\u20130.78), to drink above risk thresholds (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.49\u20130.90), to have high Mental Health Inventory-5 scores (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.54\u20130.92) and to have health insurance (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.56\u20130.98). Abstinent women were more likely to be aged over 30 years (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.51\u20132.61) and to have a high school education (OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.01\u20131.89). Logistic regression showed that age &gt;30 years, absence of illicit drug use, absence of physical abuse and lack of health insurance were independently associated with sexual abstinence.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>\n               <jats:sec>\n                  <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Prolonged sexual abstinence was not uncommon among adult women. Periodic, voluntary sexual abstinence was associated with positive health behaviours, implying that abstinence was not a random event. Future studies should address whether abstinence has a causal role in promoting healthy behaviours or whether women with a healthy lifestyle are more likely to choose abstinence.<\/jats:p>\n               <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1783\/147118906775275226","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2006,1,7]],"date-time":"2006-01-07T19:17:29Z","timestamp":1136661449000},"page":"23-24","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Characteristics of adult women who abstain from sexual intercourse"],"prefix":"10.1136","volume":"32","author":[{"given":"Mary","family":"Nettleman","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Karen S","family":"Ingersoll","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sherry Dyche","family":"Ceperich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"239","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2006,1,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1520","DOI":"10.1136\/bmj.321.7275.1520","article-title":"For and against: doctors should advise adolescents to abstain from sex","volume":"321","author":"Stammers, T.; Ingham, R.","year":"2000","unstructured":"Stammers T, Ingham R. For and against: doctors should advise adolescents to abstain from sex. BMJ 2000; 321: 1520\u20131522.","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1529","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.279.19.1529","article-title":"Abstinence and safer sex HIV risk-reduction interventions for African American adolescents: a randomized controlled trial","volume":"279","year":"1998","unstructured":"Jemmott JB 3rd, Jemmott LS, Fong GT. Abstinence and safer sex HIV risk-reduction interventions for African American adolescents: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 1998; 279: 1529\u20131536.","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"709","DOI":"10.1097\/00007611-199507000-00002","article-title":"Promotion of sexual abstinence: reducing adolescent sexual activity and pregnancies","volume":"88","author":"Khouzam, H.R.","year":"1995","unstructured":"Khouzam HR. Promotion of sexual abstinence: reducing adolescent sexual activity and pregnancies. 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Med Care"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"925","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.1989.03430070073033","article-title":"The Medical Outcomes Study: an application of methods for monitoring the results of medical care","volume":"262","author":"Tarlov, A.R.; Ware, J.E.; Greenfield, S.; Nelson, E.C.; Perrin, E.; Zubkoff, M.","year":"1989","unstructured":"Tarlov AR, Ware JE, Greenfield S, Nelson EC, Perrin E, Zubkoff M. The Medical Outcomes Study: an application of methods for monitoring the results of medical care. JAMA 1989; 262: 925\u2013930.","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"159","DOI":"10.1080\/00224490109552083","article-title":"Involuntary celibacy: a life course analysis","volume":"38","author":"Donnelly, D.; Burgess, E.; Anderson, S.; Davis, R.; Dillard, J.","year":"2001","unstructured":"Donnelly D, Burgess E, Anderson S, Davis R, Dillard J. Involuntary celibacy: a life course analysis. J Sex Res 2001; 38: 159\u2013169.","journal-title":"J Sex Res"}],"container-title":["Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/syndication.highwire.org\/content\/doi\/10.1783\/147118906775275226","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,9,5]],"date-time":"2025-09-05T18:38:34Z","timestamp":1757097514000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/jfprhc.bmj.com\/lookup\/doi\/10.1783\/147118906775275226"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2006,1]]},"references-count":9,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2006,1,1]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2006,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1783\/147118906775275226"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1783\/147118906775275226","relation":{},"ISSN":["1471-1893","2045-2098"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1471-1893","type":"print"},{"value":"2045-2098","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2006,1]]}}}