A new study of sexually active adolescents revealed that boys who masturbated were about eight times as likely to have used a condom during their last sexual encounter when compared with boys who did not masturbate, Reuters Health reports. There was no such link between masturbation and condom use in girls. Less than half the girls said they masturbated, while about three quarters of boys reported doing so. Eighty-six percent of boys who reported wearing a condom the last time they had sex also reported masturbating during the previous year. The study findings suggest that male masturbation plays a role in sexual self-awareness and predisposition to condom usage. The study was underwritten by Church & Dwight Co., the maker of Trojan condoms.

To read the Reuters article, click here.