Adolescent Sexuality Physical Changes What is puberty o Period of time when the body is maturing from a child stage to adult maturity o Changes Primary vs secondary sexual characteristics Growth spurt 1 year after hormone increases o girls average Start 10 5 Peak 12 Completion 14 Gain 7 7 in Signal to stop Menarchy Start 12 5 Peak 14 Completion 16 o Boys average Gain 8 3 in Body proportions Girls Fatty deposits o Age 10 6 more than boys end of puberty 50 more than boys o hips thighs arms legs Musculature in face and shoulders Men Hair Women Pubis Leg bottom Underarm hair Men Facial Chest Leg all Underarm Pubis Voice change Boys Bigger change full octave Androgen driven More portudent Adam s apple Voice changes but not as much Time line Girls Girls Menarche start of menstruation Thelarche breast development o Brest development not full until 14 years Pubarchy development of pubic hair Studies o Felt under prepared o Did not feel positively towards menarchy Boys Pubarchy o Development of pubic hair Gonadarchy development of testes o takes 6 years Potential fertility 13 years Stinky Pimply and Clumsy Stinky Androgen change fatty acid in perspiration and causes more bacteria worse smell Pimply Have to start washing face more because of increase in oil on skin Clumsy Growth spurt Cognitive and Social Changes Changes in brain structure and function o Grey matter spurt just prior to puberty Grey matter is where processing happens o Frontal lobe Thinking about thinking Logical skills Goal oriented Abstract thought Increases in focus on self egocentric o Abstract thought Love They are the focus of everyone s attention o Imaginary audience o Intense self reflection Self conscious o Personal fable Think you are important because everyone is paying attention to you o Myth of invulnerability They are untouchable and above the rules Large increase in delinquent behavior Trying for autonomy Strong in beginning of adolescents slowly declining Sexual behaviors Dating o Historical trends Colonial Courtship 33 premarital pregnancy bundling in bed together Victorian ritualized relationship Great Depression Start of actual dating Invention of the car Get places and further Going out for social purpose Modern Era In cohort Significantly early dating at risk Drastic increase in of sexual activity 1947 1999 Even more so in just girls Increase in masturbation Boys Girls o 50 will report o 33 will report Increase in oral sex Anal sex 11 have engaged Of those who have had PVI o 21 PVI End of high school o 2 3 have engaged black adolescent o younger age of first intercourse o more sexually active o lower reporting of contraception Approval of sexual activity Guilt o Girls are more likely to be concerned about morality Defining abstinence virginity Genital touching o High thought still a virgin o High still abstinent Oral sex o High still virgin o Moderate still abstinent Vaginal sex o Low still virgin Orientation The problem with dichotomous thinking Even Kinsey s continuum of flawed o 7 point scale o 0 exclusively straight o 6 exclusively gay Storms model o 2 dimensional model o high homo low homo up down o high hetero low hetero left right Can put Kinsey scale top left bottom right o Bisexuality top right o Asexuality bottom left o 1997 asking questions what scale did it fit Boys Girls Kinsey continuum Storms continuum o Another study Found same thing using visual stimuli Different perspectives o Choice perspective Questions asked What do you think caused your heterosexuality When and how did you decided that you were a heterosexual Do you think this is a phase NO research evidence o Biology Finger length study etc TON of evidence for hormones DES TON for genetics as well o Environmental Socialization NO evidence Parental awareness of orientation o Interviewed LGB youth living with parents Gender atypical and more strongly gay More aware of orientation Associated with early abusive comments But higher in support and less internalized homophobia after becoming aware 1 3 still had parents that were LGB 50 if father wasn t aware they would never tell Family acceptance Project o Family acceptance important protective factor Caregiver rejection associated with Depression suicide Higher HIV risk Substance abuse risk Low self esteem With low SES and immigrant communities Trans was hardest thing to work with Mostly worried about safety of the child Felt they had no resources Teen Pregnancy Births and pregnancy higher in Latinos and blacks o 50 black and Latino pregnancy by age 20 o 19 for whites Contraceptive use o All methods on the rise Condoms Use increases with non relationship partner Increased in use Why do we care o Ten pregnancy associated with Depression Failure to complete education 50 who become pregnant don t get diploma 90 who don t become pregnant get diploma medical complications highest in late 40 s and teens risks to children emotional intellectual and physiological problems Sex Education History o Should we teach it or not Parents are overwhelmingly in favor 98 o What should we teach 80 90 no subject not taught low percentage of abstinence only o Who should develop curriculum NO POLITICIANS Existing programs o Sex Ed Model in Ohio 5th grade Boy talk girl talk Present o Mouthwash deodorant Later grade Health class Abstinence Only o Comprehensive vs Abstinence only programs Programs used to get federal funding only for abstinence only Low success rates Higher rates of STDs and unwanted Less confident in making sexual pregnancy decisions V cards and Chastity pledges did not decrease sexual activity Why did it fail o Not enough information o Many kids have already engaged in PVI o Left all LGB kids out Comprehensive Came out feeling more prepared Lower rates of STDs and unwanted pregnancy Fear If you talk about it they will want to do it more WRONG o No evidence of increasing rates of sexual behavior o Failures of both Poor understanding of emotional and psychological feelings Poor understanding of orientation and love Teachers cannot go outside of curriculum taboo to parents