Adolescents First Sexual Behavior

Teen pregnancy falls into the category of pregnancies in girls age 19 or younger (NIH). Although statistics have shown a decrease, the number of teen pregnancy in the U.S. is still relatively high compared to the rest of the world. Sexual health is one of the top priorities in early adolescence health in the United States. Consequences of having sex at a young age generally results in unsafe sex practices. The consequences can be due to the lack of knowledge about sex education, and access to birth control/contraception (NIH, 2005). Due to the lack of knowledge and access to birth control, adolescents involve in risk taking when they start to explore sexual intimate relationships.

Sexuality can be the most confusing aspect of puberty for adolescents. It is one of the proofs that the hormones that become active during puberty not only affect the adolescent externally, but internally as well. On top of the already confusing process that navigating sexuality is for the adolescent themselves, there is also a plethora of environmental influences on the way an adolescent interprets their sexuality. These influences can include media portrayals of sexuality, sexual education in school, government policies, and familial opinions on sexuality. In this review of literature, we will discuss the research on various environmental influences on adolescent psychology. We will summarize and critique the research and discuss how this

A lot of research has been done on why girls mature faster than boys starting in the womb and ending in adolescence. The research that I have found are accounts from 1989 to 2013. Many researchers believe that the main cause of girls acting more mature is the fact that our society pressures them more and they must conform to do better or be socially shunned. The textbooks Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence and Boys, Girls And Achievement: Addressing the Classroom Issues both include sections on society and what is conceived as normal across the board. One issue they address is that the majority of girls are taught from basically from birth that they should either hate or not care about their bodies, and the majority of boys are taught that their bodies are perfect and nothing is wrong with them. This is evidenced by a recent

Puberty in essence is a life changing event for males and females, typically following a time of significant physical growth. Puberty is the stage in life when secondary sex characteristics are developing, sexual organs mature due to production of sex hormones. This naturally occurs during adolescence, the stage in life between childhood and adulthood. Nonetheless, Feldman (2014) points out the fact that physical changes begin earlier for girls typically at the age of 10, with sexual organ development generally around the ages of 11-12. On the other hand, physical changes for boys, frequently occurs later, around the age of 12, with development of sexual organs around the age of 13-14. Nevertheless there has been a trend towards early maturation of both male and females, this can bring about advantages and disadvantages for both sexes (Feldman, 2014). This author will discuss the pros and cons of early versus late maturation in boys versus girls in 21st century U.S. society as well as how media reinforces maturation for pre-teens and teens.

According to the Journal of Adolescent Health, “when comparing adolescents who reported receiving a comprehensive sex education with those who received an abstinence-only education, comprehensive sex education was associated with a 50% lower risk of teen pregnancy;” and “abstinence-only education did not reduce the likelihood of engaging in vaginal intercourse.” A sexually active teenaged girl that does not utilize contraception has a ninety percent chance of becoming pregnant within a year. Three out of ten American girls will get pregnant at least once by the age of twenty with nearly 750,000 teen pregnancies each year (Do Something). A great percent of these annual pregnancies are not the fault of the students directly involved, but rather the ignorance placed onto them by an abstinence only curriculum. According to Columbia University researchers, virginity pledge platforms increase pledge-takers’ risk of pregnancy. The study determined that 88 percent of pledge-takers instigated sex prior to marriage. Pledge-takers were less expected to use contraception when they did commence in sex (McKeon). If these young adults do not know how to protect themselves, while being taught that sex is a wrongful act out of wedlock and going against basic human nature, then they cannot protect

Healthy sexual development begins at birth. It is a holistic process that involves the emotional, cognitive, behavioral and physical experiences. The physical development aspect has played a pivotal role in sex education discussion. As such, the discussion of sex education in this forum will focus on the emotional, cognitive and behavioural sexual development and the responsibility parents and teachers have in educating themselves to assist adolescents through this development.

The female, sex organs include the vagina, fallopian tubes, ovaries uterus and so forth. The male sex organs consist of the penis, testes, seminal vesicles, prostate gland, and scrotum. During puberty, both female and male organs enlarge and mature (Papalia, 2015, pp. 326-327). The biological view suggests the foundation for pubertal timing and tempo in “secondary sexual characteristics are (breast, genitals, pubic hair), reproductive capability, height, weight, and accompanying psychological and behavioral changes” (Marceau et al., 2014). Primary and secondary sexual characteristics and vast changes accompany rapid body growth for both genders in puberty (Berk, 2015, p. 397). However, in view, it is essential that adults become aware of potential warning signs of physical maturing adolescents both early and late. For instance, are late developing boys and early maturing girls as they appear to be at an increased risk for many problems, including depression (Graber, Lewinsohn, Seeley, & Brooks-Gunn, 1997; Perry, 2000 in American Psychological Association,

Sexuality is a normative part of adolescent development. Early adolescent sexual debut is associated with more negative outcomes (Broderick and Blewit, 2015). Different cultures hold different view of sexual orientation. Almost weekly we here about

Girls Experiencing Sexual Intercourse Early: Could It Play a Part in Reproductive Health in Middle Adulthood?

The third one is the peer and school factors. A recent study found that adolescents who associated with more deviant peers in early adolescence were likely to have more sexual partners at age 16 (Lansford & others, 2010). It is easier for adolescence to learn bad behaviors from peers, along with they are at the age with lower self-control. School connectedness and better academic achievement are both protective factor in keeping adolescence from early sexual initiation. The fourth factors are cognitive and personality factors. A study showed that the attention problems and high rates of aggressive disruptive behavior at school entry increased the risk of multiple problem behaviors in middle school, which in turn was linked to early initiation of sexual activity (Schofi eld & others,

It wasn’t until the 1990’s that sexual activity peaked for both sexes and started to decline for both men and women, however more for men (McAnulty & Burnette, 104). As time progressed, the median age at which women had sex for the first time decreased from 19 in the 1960’s to 17 in the 1990’s (105).

Girls usually experience puberty before boys with the start of menstruation which can begin as early as eight or nine. Physical difference becomes more obvious due to hormone development. The appearance of more bodily hair and skin changes along with growth spurts and bodily changes are experienced during adolescence. Boys develop deeper voices and girls develop breasts. The rate a person matures can vary significantly which can be as a result of biological genes; however external factors can alter or slow down puberty. (Smith et al p. 285) highlights that undernourishment or poor nutrition can be the cause of a delayed puberty. This would suggest that children in poorer areas or deprived social background who are not getting enough food or good quality nutritious food could result in delayed puberty. When looking at the

Teenage sexual activity has sparked an outcry within the nation. With such activity comes a high price. Studies have shown that there has been a significant rise in the number of children with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), emotional and psychological problems, and out-of-wedlock childbearing. Sex has always been discussed publically by the media, television shows, music and occasionally by parents and teachers in educational context. Teens hear them, and as the saying goes, “monkey see, monkey do”, they are tempted to experiment with it. Therefore, it is important for every teenager to be aware of the outcome associated with premature-sex. If students are educated about the impact of

Sexual behavior and activity is a normal part of life. Most people believe that there is a certain age that is appropriate to begin being involved in such activities and behaviors. Within society today and more so with the younger generations media is playing a major role in the lives of adolescents. What is seen on television, in movies, and on video games by adolescents is often imitated. This article discusses the topic of sexual content in the media and its effect on sexual behavior in adolescents.

In life, there are many challenges teens face that causes them to engage in aberrant behavior. One type of this behavior is sexual intercourse. Many teens choose to engage in sexual activities due to surrounding factors. In fact, these factors can affect a teen’s behavior in a negative manner. This, in turn, causes teens to become interested in unorthodox behavior, such as intercourse. Due to various adverse factors, there are many reasons why teens engage in sexual intercourse.