Sex during adolescence stds teen pregnancy Kids are actively waiting longer to have sex Contraceptive use Rate has been increasing but still more sporadic than adults Condoms are the most used form The pill is second more common choice withdrawal 3rd Condoms a good choice for teens since they protect against pregnancy for stds Birth control is a function of race ethnicity age And sexual orientation Why aren t condoms used more often Negative experiences with them Generalized disregard for risk An unwillingness to take responsibility for oneself and the perception that Lack of self efficacy condoms are ineffective Users have to be knowledgeable of the method and willing to admit that they are sexually active Do not believe pregnancy will happen to them Unintended pregnancy U S has the second highest adolescent pregnancy rate in the industrialized world Rates are declining thought 15 fewer than in the 70s and 80s About 20 of sexually active American teenage girls get pregnant each year 80 are unplanned Causation Theories American teens are no more likely to be sexually active American adolescents are less likely to use contraceptives The poverty rate is higher in the United states The U S government provides fewer health care services to middle class Primary care physicians are less likely to concern themselves with birth citizens control sources childbearing European nations nations Youths in other countries are more likely to receive assistance from outside Parental leave policies in the other nations provide incentives to postpone Attitudes toward adolescent sexual behavior are more accepting in many American society is more tolerant of adolescent childbearing than other Comprehensive sex education is favored in other nations Pregnancy outcomes Birth 57 Abortion 29 Miscarriage 14 Motherhood 97 of adolescent mothers decide to keep their babies Fatherhood contact usually steadily decreases are the child s birth Abortion rate lowered Adoption those who decide to place their babies for adoption generally feel quite comfortable with this decision Teen parents are at risk for Dropping out of school Having subsequent children while still an adolescent Living in poverty Gay and lesbian youth Many homosexual men are stereotypically masculine in appearance and actions some are outstanding athletes Many lesbians are stereotypically feminine in appearance and behavior The majority of gay men recognize their homosexual orientation early in life less typical for lesbians to be aware of their homosexuality during adolescence Kinsey s continuum of heterosexuality homosexuality Determinants of sexual orientation biological theories psychoanalytic theories parenting theories social learning theories Homosexuality Adjustment more difficult then heterosexual youth to come to grips with their sexuality a period of denial often isolated lonely unhappy people terribly afraid of rejection even by other homosexuals No one consistent coming out process followed by gay youth Parents are often not supportive Harassed at school High depression rates Middle schools Junior high vs middle schools There is no single agreed upon structure for middle schools The middle school slump o Middle schools larger than grade schools o Middle schools more impersonal o Less time spent with one teacher o Less time spent with close friends Avoiding problems in middle school Performance goal structure grade in the class Task mastery structure o Foster competition among students the goal is to get the highest o Less competitive and highly value effort and improvement rather than meeting preset standards Successful middle schools Supportive respectful atmosphere Teachers with special training Rigorous relevant curriculum Parental involvement Be part of the larger civic community Encouraged to develop good health habits Strive to ensure the success of all students Characteristics of good school Size o Relatively small is best Atmosphere conductive to learning o Curriculum relevant and challenging o Sense of personal responsibility Teachers behavior o Supportive engaging flexible provide feedback Achievement and dropping out Why drop out Boredom and alienation o Feel alienated and disengaged when they are powerless they perceive the tasks being assigned to them as meaningless and they feel normless o Meaningless may result when students are unclear on the connection b t the subjects taught at school and their own futures o Normlessness occurs when individuals have little sense that there are uniform goals and standards across their school Family responsibilities o Need to care for a family member including a spouse or child o Teenage pregnancy Truancy School failure o Symptoms of disengagement and a cause of academic failure o Poor reading ability improper placement and low grades o Low IQs Dropping out Socioeconomic factors o Lack positive parental influences and examples o Teachers often prejudice o Given few rewards for achievement o Do not often possess the reading and writing skills of their middleclass peers o Negative peer influence often anti school Race and ethnicity o Hispanic American African American and native American students o Latinos are more likely to drop out at a younger age than others o Non white students from inner city high schools Congruence b t school home o Values and attitudes don t match those of their teachers Family relationships o Authoritative parents are most likely to have children who value school and get good grades Social adjustment and peer associations o Peer associations a major factor Stress o Debilitate psychological well being physical health and task performance Misconduct Changing schools o Strong negative correlation b t misconduct and graduation o Less information about the new school and its teachers classes norms o May feel separated from the educational process o Difficult for adolescents to merge into the social scene if they have moved from a distance geographic location Sense of academic competence o Adolescents who do well in school believe that they can succeed academically Dropouts and employment o Many high school dropouts work o Wage gap widens with age Youth employment Most teens work at some point before high school graduation o Numbers have increased greatly o Many middle school students informally work Girls work in restaurants and retail stores Boys are more likely to work as landscaping aides with livestock in factories and in gas stations work Middle class youth
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