Unit III Chapter 11 Sexual Attitudes and Behavior Changing Attitudes and Behavior Premarital Sexual Behavior o Only 7 of teenagers have experienced sexual intercourse by age o About 30 of 15 17 year olds report that they have engaged in 13 intercourse o About 66 70 of 18 19 year olds say they have lost their virginity Having sex earlier than their grandparents but perhaps not their parents and likely not their older siblings o May be because of the increased education in schools Today s teens o Less likely to have sex at a very young age 12 13 o Less likely to have ever engaged in intercourse o Less likely to be currently sexually active o Less likely to have had 4 or more sex partners than teens in the early 1990s o Teens who have sex younger usually will have more partners than teens that have sex later in life Virginity definition is confusing to different people oral vs penetrative sex Sex and its Meaning Driven by needs that have nothing to do with sex o Need for affection o Feelings of loneliness o Need to gain status esp for girls Teens that have sex younger usually diminishes their status o Confirmation of masculinity or femininity o Bolster self esteem now people will think I am cool o Something more than just sex is pleasurable Gender Differences in Ethics Diminishing but still present o Sexual behavior more acceptable for males than females o Sex is more OK without love for males o Females are more likely to link sex and affection o A lot of people don t seem to like the idea of casual sex but this is not always communicated so there is a lot of sex occurring that isn t always wanted Contraceptive Use Rate has been increasing o But still more sporadic than adults Condoms are the most used form o Condoms are a good choice for teens since they protect against pregnancy and STIs o Birth control is the next most used contraceptive followed by the pull out method which is not very effective Why aren t condoms used more often o Positive they are easily accessible o Negative experiences with them o A generalized disregard for risk o An unwillingness to take responsibility for oneself and the perception that condoms are ineffective o Users have to be knowledgeable of the method and willing to admit that they are sexually active o Do not believe pregnancy will happen to them Should teens have contraceptives o Legal since 1977 cannot restrict distribution of contraceptives o Availability has minimal effect on sexual activity o Use greatly decreases chances of pregnancy and STIs STIs Very common o 50 of all new STI cases each year are to person 25 years old Chlamydia especially common in teens Gonorrhea also Girls more at risk than boys o More likely asymptomatic o And more likely to contract if partner is infected HPV is most common causes genital warts and cervical cancer Five Most common STIs in the American 15 24 year old Population o HPV trichomonoiasis chlamydia HSV gonorrhea NTK that HPV is the most common STI AIDs Arises after the human immunodeficiency virus attacks the body s immune system An incubation period of up to 10 years o Why it rarely develops during adolescence o Meaning no symptoms for up to 10 years Spreads through exchange of body fluids o Semen saliva blood There are treatments but is no cure 6th leading cause of death in America from 16 24 year olds Unwed Pregnancy US has the second highest adolescent pregnancy rate in the industrialized world Russia is first Rate are declining though o 15 fewer than 70s and 80s year o 80 are unplanned About 20 of sexually active American teenage girls get pregnant each Pregnancy outcomes birth miscarriage abortion Pregnancy Outcomes Motherhood 97 of adolescent mothers decide to keep their babies Fatherhood contact usually steadily decreases after the child s birth Abortion rate lowered possibly b c of the morning after pill Adoption those who decide to place their babies for adoption generally feel quite comfortable with this decision The support system is the main determinant of successful teenage mothers life adolescence Gay and Lesbian Youth The majority of gay men recognized their homosexual orientation early in Less typical for lesbians to be aware of their homosexuality during More acceptance in our society for homosexual adults Determinants of Sexual Orientation Biological theories o Brain scans are different for heterosexual vs homosexual people o Question is if it is prewired i e a hormone the fetus was subjected to Psychoanalytic theories parenting theories o Parenting actually has very little effect on sexual orientation Social learning theories o Things you have learned things you have been exposed to Homosexuality Adjustment More difficult than 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 and when they are not it creates more issues Harassed at school Sources of Sex Information Siblings 25 Teachers Parents only about 12 Relatives about 5 Misc sources
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