100 Danish and 133 American adolescents (aged 17-18 years) in middle-class communities were compared on various aspects of socialization and risk behavior. Overall, socialization was narrower among the Danish subjects, in the sence that they had more household obligations, greater community stability, and more adults beyond their immediate families who were involved in their socialization. Rates of risk behavior were higher for American subjects in the areas of automobile driving (high-speed and drunk driving) and minor criminal behavior (shoplifting and vandalism), whereas Danish subjects were higher in their rates of driving a bicycle or moped while intoxicated. Danish subjects had higher rates of sexual intercourse than American adolescents, but American subjects were less likely to use contraception, so the overall rates of sex without contraception were almost identical.
Abstract