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Sexuality in Childhood and Adolescence

Sexuality in Childhood and Adolescence. Chapter 6. Relationships in Infancy/Early Childhood. Attachment Theory Attachment “styles” Internal Working Models. Sexuality in Infancy/Childhood. Early capacities for sexual response Boys have erections in utero

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Sexuality in Childhood and Adolescence

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  1. Sexuality in Childhood and Adolescence Chapter 6

  2. Relationships inInfancy/Early Childhood • Attachment Theory • Attachment “styles” • Internal Working Models

  3. Sexuality in Infancy/Childhood • Early capacities for sexual response • Boys have erections in utero • Biological basis of sexual response

  4. Childhood Sexuality • Curiosity/sex play are normal in early childhood • Parental attitudes/responses shape sexual attitudes: guilt and shame

  5. Childhood Sexuality and Childhood Sexual Abuse • Correlation between the frequency of a child’s sexual behaviors and the occurrence of sexual abuse

  6. Abnormal Sexual Behavior in Childhood • Often correlates to childhood sexual abuse • Sexual behavior is directed at adults • Behavior is more similar to adult sexual expression • Use of coercion, bribery, force, or manipulation

  7. Puberty and Sex Drive • Early sexual arousal is linked to sex drive, desire for casual sex, and higher numbers of sexual partners • Early pubertal development is also linked to early initiation of sexual activity

  8. Factors Influencing Adolescent Sexuality • Parental involvement/discussion • Youth who discuss sex with their parents are less likely to engage in risky behavior (O’Donnell, 2005) • Youth who discuss sex with their parents are more likely to take precautions and have fewer sexual partners (Camp, 2005)

  9. Peer Influences • Peers often share misinformation about sexuality • Youth tend to overestimate the number of peers engaging in sex • Role of peer pressure • *Peer pressure article

  10. Media • Media: one of the primary sources for sexual information

  11. Age of First Intercourse • Changes after the sexual revolution of the 1960s • Sex before marriage and at a younger age became more prevalent

  12. First Intercourse • Changes again during the turn of the 21st century • Declines in the number of youth having sex • Increase in condom use and use of contraceptives

  13. Adolescents and Sex • More permissive attitudes toward sex • Pregnancy and sexual risk taking continues to be a problem, though teen pregnancy has declined in the US

  14. Sexual behavior- developmental concerns • 13% of teen girls and 6% of teen boys felt uncomfortable/did not want their first sexual experience to happen when it did • Emotional maturity and developmental level

  15. Factors influencing teenage sexuality • Alcohol use • Having a boyfriend/girlfriend • Poor parental monitoring/permissive parental attitudes • Low SES

  16. Teen Pregnancy • Decrease in teen pregnancy and abortion • US- teen birth rate is the highest in the developed world • 22% of teen pregnancies are planned

  17. Teen Pregnancy • Associated with poverty/economic hardship • Babies born to teen moms have twice the risk for low birth weight • 1/3 of teen moms receive inadequate prenatal care

  18. Teenage Fatherhood • Risk Factors: • Race/SES • Permissive attitudes toward teen fatherhood • Poor school achievement/delinquency

  19. Article Discussion • Perspectives on teen sexuality

  20. Gay, Lesbian, and “Questioning”Adolescents • Many GLBT teens report feeling “different” in early childhood • Most have heterosexual relations, but feel ambivalent about the experience

  21. Gay, Lesbian, and “Questioning” Adolescents • Society continues to construct sexual minorities as problematic • Parents/teachers contribute to homophobia by ignoring peer harassment (Finz, 2000)

  22. Gay, Lesbian, and“Questioning” Adolescents • GLBT teens have a high incidence of depression, substance abuse, and attempted suicide (Harrison, 2003) • The question of having a gay identity

  23. Current Research on GLBT Youth • GLBT youth- “at risk”: • Victimization • School challenges • Substance use and abuse • Suicidal thoughts/attempts

  24. GLBT youth • “sexual minority” youth • Adolescent development- increased stress due to societal marginalization (Russell, 2002) • A “culturally stigmatized” identity

  25. GLBT youth • Central contexts to development (Russell, 2002): • Family • Faith communities • School

  26. GLBT youth • Family: • “coming out” vs. remaining silent: developmental concerns

  27. GLBT youth • Faith communities: • Many reinforce cultural negativity about sexual minorities

  28. GLBT youth • School (Russell, 2002; Jerome, 2001): • GLBT youth: • Higher drop-out risk • Harassment/discrimination • Many fear for their safety • Schools remain silent

  29. GLBT youth: Resilience • Resilience: • Capacity to thrive, overcome, and actualize our potential

  30. GLBT youth: Resilience • Creating “spaces” to explore sexual identity • Internet communities • Gay-Straight Alliances

  31. Jerome article • “Realities of Growing up Gay” • Youth narratives documenting their experiences • Discrimination/harassment in school • Identity conflicts

  32. Savin-Williams “The New Gay Teen” • Sexual minority youth: • rejection of “gay” as an identity

  33. Motives for rejecting gay identities • Typical Assumptions: • Safety • Internalized homophobia

  34. Motivations • Fluidity of sexual identity • Rejection of “gay” as it is socially/culturally/politically constructed

  35. Implications for Research • Research does not sufficiently address these adolescents • Differences between gay and “new gay” teens?

  36. Implications for Research • Support for conceptualizations of the “continuum” of orientation • Calls into question research on psychological development of gay youth

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