The Importance of Sexuality in the Development of Adolescents

Human sexuality can be fascinating, complex, contradictory, and sometimes frustrating. Sexuality is interwoven into every aspect of being human; therefore, having knowledge about sex is as essential as having education about human anatomy. However, it is highly recommended to pay close attention when sex education is delivered to youths. (Donatelle 171)

Studies show that the national average for an adolescent’s first sexual intercourse encounter is seventeen years old. Despite this number being very close to the average age in other industrialized countries, the United States holds a higher percentage of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) contraction than those countries (Harper et al, 2010, p. 125). It’s becoming evident that while a majority of the nation’s youth is sexually active, they are not doing so with the appropriate knowledge to keep themselves and others healthy.

In this study, the researchers used the “BFY intervention” starting with fifth grade students in 16 different elementary schools in Washington, D.C. (Anderson et al., 2011). The researchers followed the students longitudinally into their sixth and seventh grade school year. Anderson et al. (2011) used baseline data from all the children prior to initiating any interventions to examine the baseline associations among the various sociodemographic factors and the gender psychosocial attributes, attitudes, and knowledge characteristics related to sexuality and their experience and anticipation of sexual activity. This was appropriate for the study. The study does not mention minimizing threats, but it is implied by the approval from the institutional review boards of the contributing institutions and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (Anderson et al., 2011). Only students who could complete the survey in English were able to participate in the study and special education classes were excluded from the study. Parents had to give consent to students in order to participate as well. Of the 793 eligible students, 620 had consent forms signed ad only 562 completed the student baseline survey. The sample size was sufficient to gather adequate data about the research

In the last decade or so, however, the growing awareness of the dangers of AIDS does appear to have contributed to a decline in the rates of sexual intercourse among teens. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that between 1991 and 2005 the percentage of teenagers who are sexually active dropped from 57.4 percent to 46.3 percent among males and from 50.8 percent to 44.9 percent among females. The rates of pregnancy, abortion, and sexually transmitted disease among teens have actually dropped even faster than the rate of sexual activity. So it appears that, in addition to postponing sex, teens are also becoming more responsible in their sexual activities. For example, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 87.5 percent of teens were either abstinent or used condoms. Of course, that means that 12.5 percent of teens were still having unprotected sex, but that is a significant improvement over past decades. Similarly, although the rate of teen pregnancy has declined, more than 11 percent of the babies born in the United States

Sexual thoughts pop in and out of most people’s mind, but especially teenagers, and there’s nothing they can do about it. It is normal for teenage boys and girls to experience this, more than ever when they are hitting puberty. The hormones in the body begin to act up and teenagers want to experience other things on their own. Males begin to grow pubic and facial hairs, and their voice starts to deepen, while girls’ breasts begin to develop and their body begins to take shape. After hitting puberty, teenagers are now at the point where they want to experience things. ‚Don’t go out there and get pregnant‛ a mother

We have all heard the stories about the rise in teenage pregnancies, girls dropping out of school to care for their newborns, and even those who get pregnant on purpose. This new trend is everywhere. Most parents fail to have the “talk” with their children and are left without the proper education regarding sex until its too late. With the current rates of teenage pregnancy correlated with the current rates of spreading epidemics of STD’s and HIV/AIDS, steps should be taken in an effort to aid the situation. Schools are a main source of information and education for teens, and are in a unique position that can provide adolescents with knowledgeable skills and understanding that promote sexual health. With consistent speculation surrounding

Our generation of teens has become too prone of sexual activity with less worry of the consequences it comes along with. Most teenagers, ages 15 through 19, are sexually active, approximately 30 percent being of the ages 15 and 16. Many young teens have not been exposed to all the repercussions, such as risk of pregnancy and STDs, that sex can result in. Our schools need to provide better sex education courses and require students to receive credit in them.

According to studies there has been an increase of unprotected intercourse in adolescents that leads to sexually transmitted diseases, psychological disorders, and the use of substance abuse (Jemmott, Fong, G. T. (2005)). Adolescents typically go to the use of drugs to throw away the feelings they encounter in everyday situations. Studies also show that most adolescents that involve their selves in intercourse at an early age will have a larger number of sexual partners, and use condoms less often when engaged in intercourse.

Chapter 8 is talking about childhood and adolescent sexuality. Chapter eight talked about how many people oppose questioning children about sexuality because they believe that it will encourage them to be promiscuous, others believe that if we do not talk about it then it will go away. I believe that this is something a lot of children face growing up and is particularly a problem as well. Parents not engaging in sexual topics with their children will only hurt them in the long run. All children should have some form of knowledge of sexuality and what it comes with, without being in the knowing leaves room for many errors and most of these errors could be avoided by a simple conversation with their parents.

Age of sexual activity is important, but it is found that the age of first sexual experience was the same for both pregnant and non-pregnant adolescent females (Hockaday, Crase, Shelley, and Stockdale, 2000). Delinquency and adolescent pregnancy show that adolescents are involved in delinquent behaviors before encountering sexual activity (Hockaday, Crase, Shelley, and Stockdale, 2000). The article states that females usually participate in delinquent acts first, experiment with drugs second, and become sexually active last (Hockaday, Crase, Shelley, and Stockdale, 2000). Attitudes and aspirations deal with adolescents who feel they will never make it to college, and decide to become a mother at a young age. Another aspect is their lower parental socio-economic status, race, and their father being absent in their life (Hockaday, Crase, Shelley, and Stockdale, 2000). According to the article, family attitudes found that females who supported the egalitarian view of women’s roles were more likely than those who supported traditional views to engage in sexual intercourse, use contraceptives, obtain abortions, and choose single parenthood (Hockaday, Crase, Shelley, and Stockdale,

Kar, S.K, Chuoudhur, A., & Singh, A.P. (2015) Understanding normal development of adolescent sexuality: A bumpy ride. Journal of Human Reproductive Sciences, 8(2), 70-74.

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

The sexual orientation identity development is a theoretical model that conceptualized the resolution of internal conflict related to the formation of individual sexual identity. For sexual minority people, it is commonly known as the coming-out process (Bilodeau & Renn 2005). There have been many different models elaborated to explain such process. All of them share similar stages: awareness, crisis, and acceptance (Loiacano 1989). When individuals become aware of their queer feelings and attraction, they try to block these homosexual feelings by constantly denying and minimizing them. This mechanism of defense leaves negative sequelae in their overall psychosocial well-being (Bilodeau & Renn 2005). Individuals tend to pass by a

The prevalence of having had sexual intercourse before age 13 years was higher among male (8.3%) than female (3.1%) students(Kann, Laura, Steve Kinchen, and Shari L. Shanklin, et al.). Most schools do not even start the education until around 9th grade when a student is in most cases already over the age of thirteen. Children are starting to have sex at earlier ages so with reason schools need to start educating them at earlier ages. Students who are starting to have sex at such a young age need to know that the biggest risks of having sex at such a young age are unintended pregnancy, human immunodeficiency virus(HIV), and STIs.

Over many years, the views of premarital sex have been becoming increasingly more tolerant. The whole reasoning behind why sex was created is lost in the minds of society and used for pleasure and own physical satisfaction. There are negative consequences for these actions leading to guilt, depression, and numbness to intimate relationships. Having strong parental influence can also strongly affect the outcomes of adolescence and causal sex. Additionally, marriage can be