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Postponing Sexual Involvement (c)

Public Health & Prevention: School-based
  Literature review updated April 2012.
This program was archived December 2024.

Postponing Sexual Involvement (PSI) is a two-stage program typically offered to 8th-and 9th-grade students. The program consists of five classes on human sexuality taught by a classroom teacher, followed by five classes on refusal skills taught by trained peer educators (11th- and 12th-grade students).
 
ALL
META-ANALYSIS
CITATIONS

Meta-analysis is a statistical method to combine the results from separate studies on a program, policy, or topic to estimate its effect on an outcome. WSIPP systematically evaluates all credible evaluations we can locate on each topic. The outcomes measured are the program impacts measured in the research literature (for example, impacts on crime or educational attainment). Treatment N represents the total number of individuals or units in the treatment group across the included studies.

An effect size (ES) is a standard metric that summarizes the degree to which a program or policy affects a measured outcome. If the effect size is positive, the outcome increases. If the effect size is negative, the outcome decreases. See Estimating Program Effects Using Effect Sizes for additional information on how we estimate effect sizes.

The effect size may be adjusted from the unadjusted effect size estimated in the meta-analysis. Historically, WSIPP adjusted effect sizes to some programs based on the methodological characteristics of the study. For programs reviewed in 2024 or later, we do not make additional adjustments, and we use the unadjusted effect size whenever we run a benefit-cost analysis.

Research shows the magnitude of effects may change over time. For those effect sizes, we estimate outcome-based adjustments, which we apply between the first time ES is estimated and the second time ES is estimated. More details about these adjustments can be found in our Technical Documentation.

Meta-Analysis of Program Effects
Outcomes measured No. of effect sizes Treatment N Effect sizes (ES) and standard errors (SE) Unadjusted effect size (random effects model)
ES SE Age ES p-value
Initiation of sexual activity
Self-reported sexual intercourse.
 0 4 3381 -0.004 0.038 14 -0.200 0.094

Citations Used in the Meta-Analysis

Aarons, S.J., Jenkins, R.R., Raine, T.R., El-Khorazaty, M.N., Woodward, K.M., Williams, R.L., . . . Wingrove, B.K. (2000). Postponing sexual intercourse among urban junior high school students-a randomized controlled evaluation. Journal of Adolescent Health, 27(4), 236-247.

Howard, M., & McCabe, J.A. (1992). An information and skills approach for younger teens: Postponing Sexual Involvement program. In B. C. Miller, J. J. Card, R. L. Paikoff, & J. L. Peterson (Eds.), Preventing adolescent pregnancy: Model programs and evaluations (pp. 83- 109). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Kirby, D., Korpi, M., Barth, R.P., & Cagampang, H.H. (1997). The impact of the Postponing Sexual Involvement curriculum among youths in California. Family Planning Perspectives, 29(3), 100-108.

Mellanby, A.R., Phelps, F.A., Crichton, N.J., & Tripp, J.H. (1995). School sex education: An experimental programme with educational and medical benefit. British Medical Journal, 311(7002), 414-417.