Adolescence 8th edition

1. Adolescence8th edition Insert Textbook Photo Chapter Eleven: Sexuality By Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D.

2. Chapter 11 Overview • Why is sexuality an adolescent issue? • How sexually permissive is contemporary society? • What is the developmental sequence of engaging in sexual activity during adolescence? • What are the characteristics of sexually active adolescents? • Teenage pregnancy and childbearing during adolescence

3. Why Is Sexuality an Adolescent Issue? • After puberty, there are changes in the nature and meaning of sexual behavior • Sexual activity can now lead to pregnancy • Adolescent sexuality is also influenced by • Emerging cognitive capabilities (introspection and reflection about sexual behavior) • Concerns about new social roles (new meaning given to sexual behavior like “playing doctor”)

4. How Sexually Permissive Is Contemporary Society? • Sexually Restrictive Societies • Discontinuous transition • Pressure to refrain from sexual activity until they have undergone a formal rite of passage or have married • Many pursue sex in secrecy because of this pressure • Sometimes, males and females are separated throughout childhood and adolescence

5. How Sexually Permissive Is Contemporary Society? • Semi-Restrictive Societies • Sexual activity among adolescents frowned on but prohibitions are not consistently enforced • Premarital promiscuity is common • Parents don’t object as long as love affairs are kept secret • Premarital pregnancy is objectionable and may result in adolescents’ being forced to marry

6. How Sexually Permissive Is Contemporary Society? • Permissive Societies • Highly continuous transition into sexual activity, begins in childhood • Children openly masturbate • Imitate adult intercourse • Seeking privacy to engage in sex play is approved of by adults

7. Sexual Activity During Adolescence • Adolescents likely to be serial monogamists • Having a series of sexual partners over time, but remaining monogamous within each relationship • Stages of Sexual Activity • Autoerotic behavior – sexual behavior that is experienced alone (e.g., having erotic fantasies, masturbation, nocturnal orgasms) • By high school, transition to sexual activity involving another person • Although most adolescents follow predictable pattern of sexual stages, African Americans may actually skip some of the steps • May help explain ethnicity differences in rates of teenage pregnancies

8. Sexual Activity During Adolescence • Sexual Intercourse During Adolescence • By the end of sophomore year of high school, more than 40% have had heterosexual vaginal intercourse • For many girls (~30%), the first sexual experience is not voluntary

9. Ethnic Differences in Age of Sexual Initiation For Males

10. The Timing of Sexual Initiation • Adolescents are more likely to lose their virginity during certain times of the year • June and December are peak months • May, June, July common regardless of romantic involvement (prom, graduation) • Holiday season in December is peak time for serious relationships

11. Changes in Adolescent Sexual Activity Over Time • The percentage of sexually active adolescents increased during 1970s and 80s, decreased slightly from 1995 to 2001 • One-third of adolescents have early sexual intercourse (before ninth grade) • Greatest increase in prevalence of premarital intercourse has been among females

12. Sexually Active Adolescents • Psychological/Social Characteristics of Sexually Active Adolescents • Sexual activity during adolescence (age 16 or later) • Is not associated with psychological disturbance • Levels of self-esteem and life satisfaction are similar to other adolescents’ • However, early sexual activity (before age 16) has negative correlates like: • Experimentation with drugs and alcohol • Lower levels of religious involvement • Higher tolerance of deviant behavior • Lower interest in academic achievement • Higher orientation toward independence

13. What Influences Sexual Activity? • Hormones are especially important for boys • Testosterone surge sparks initial interest in sex for boys and girls (girls are also influenced by estrogens) • Boys who are more popular with girls and mature earlier tend to initiate sex earlier than unpopular boys • Biological factors have a very strong influence on boys’ sexual behavior • Context is especially important for girls • The most important predictor of girls’ involvement in sexual intercourse is whether their friends are doing it or have sexually permissive attitudes

14. Parental Influences on Sexual Activity • Authoritative parenting is associated with adolescents who are • Less likely to become sexually active at an early age • Less likely to engage in risky sexual activity • Parent-adolescent communication about sex • Stops them from engaging in risky sexual behaviors, but does little to prevent them from being sexually active in general

15. Peer Influences on Sexual Behavior • Having sexually active peers establishes a normative standard that having sex is okay • Peers also can communicate directly about sex, with friends or with potential partners • Risk factors for sexual activity are cumulative

16. What Does Sex Mean to Boys and Girls? • Boys are… • More likely to keep matters of sex and intimacy separate • More likely to have experienced orgasm through masturbation • More likely to interpret intercourse in terms of recreation than intimacy • Girls are… • More likely to integrate sexual activity into an existing capacity for intimacy and emotional involvement • More likely to take the view that sex is combined with romance, love, friendship, and intimacy • More likely to feel conflicted afterward because of societal pressures and worries about pregnancy

17. Homosexuality in Adolescence • About 4% of adolescents identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual (~ 8% in adulthood) • Confusion is common about • Sexual orientation – extent to which an individual is oriented toward heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual activity • Sex-role behavior – extent to which an individual behaves in traditionally masculine or feminine ways • Gender identity – which gender an individual believes he/she is

18. Sexual Harassment, Rape, and Sexual Abuse • Date Rape – being forced to have sex by a date • Sexual harassment is widespread in American public schools • Adolescents are abused and neglected at higher rates than children • Victims are disproportionately female and poor

19. Contraceptive Use Among Sexually Active Adolescents • Many adolescents fail to use contraception regularly • Although rates have improved since 1970s, ~40% of high school students did not use a condom the most recent time they had sex • Contraception may not be readily available for all adolescents

20. When Is the Risk of Pregnancy Greatest? • Many adolescents report using the withdrawal or rhythm methods of contraception, two of the least effective ways to prevent pregnancy

21. AIDS and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases • STDs can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or parasites that are transmitted through sexual contact • Bacteria – Gonorrhea and Chlamydia • Virus – Herpes and Human Papilloma Virus • Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and interferes with the body’s immune system • Condoms and education are best prevention tools • Programs must focus on the benefits of condom use rather than costs of not using them • Knowledge of risks alone is not sufficient to keep adolescents from risky behaviors

22. Teenage Pregnancy and Childbearing • Nearly one-third of American women become pregnant by age 20 • Not all pregnancies result in childbirth (~30% are aborted, ~15% miscarry) • 5% American teen births result in adoptions • America’s teen birth rate is higher than all other industrialized countries

23. What Causes Teen Pregnancy? • The most important difference between teens who become pregnant and those who do not is contraceptive use • 85% of teen pregnancies are unintended, but those who are less troubled by the prospect of having a baby at a young age are more likely to use contraceptives ineffectively • Ambitious, well-educated, middle- to upper-class women who live in wealthier areas are more likely to terminate an unwanted pregnancy

24. Teen Pregnancy: The Role of The Father • Teen fathers are likely • To have problems with self-esteem, school, work, aggression, drugs, and alcohol • To have fathered a child previously • To experience adverse effects on mental health and educational development (more likely among white and Hispanic men than African-American men) • To receive little support or help in becoming responsible parents

25. Consequences for Children of Teen Mothers • Environment of single parenthood and poverty are more harmful than mother’s relative youth for child development • However, adolescent mothers may perceive their babies as being more difficult and have problems interacting with them • Mothers who were more intelligent and better adjusted before the birth of their infant have greater parenting skills later

26. Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs • Abstinence-only programs were emphasized in 1990s at expense of other sex education • A combination of school-based sex ed and community-based clinics seems to be most promising in preventing teen pregnancies • Must motivate teens to use the available resources