Chapter 11 Sexuality Flashcards
Adolescent sexuality is also influenced by what 3 in adol
Physical changes of puberty
emerging cognitive capabilities (introspection and reflection about sexual behavior).
concerns about new social roles
how does society influence sexuality
social role shift= social status increased for sexuality
adults response to adol sex
they think its wrong and shouldn’t be engaged in by teens
negative aspects of teen sex in media rather than normative why
parents opinion
4 stages of positive sexual development
- Accepting one’s changing body
- Accepting one’s feelings of sexual arousal
- Understanding that sexual activity is voluntary
- Practicing safe sex.
what body changes need to be accepted
shape, size, and attractiveness
reports on sexual behaviour differ according to what
Onset of sexual behaviour influenced by how we word questions and ways in which we collect data. (intercourse isn’t the only sexual activity)
developmental progression of sexual development has been the same over history
t
by age … teens have engaged in some sexual activity
16
Most adolescents do not start with intercourse. what do they start with
Start with autoerotic behaviour
Moves towards sociosexual behaviour (involving another person)
handholding is sociosexual behaviour
t
the way sex is defined influences …
prevalence rates = carried results
Slightly more adolescents are having sex compared to
previous eras.
f fewer
age of sex compared to previous generations is different how?
those who are do so at a somewhat earlier age
how do girls and boys describe their sexual activity
Males tend to overstate their level of activity; females tend to understate it.
In BC (2018, McCreary AHS): …% youth reported ever having sex.
20
Individual differences in sexual initiation (e.g., ….3)
ethnicity, sex, ses
SES influence how
higher sexual activity
SES influence how
rates of sexual activity higher among economically disadvantaged youth
higher sexual activity (narrowing over time)
Stats Canada (2010) – sexual debut has been stable across ….
2003 t0 2010
Likelihood of being sexually active rose with age.
…% (debut before 15 years)
…% (debut at 15 or 16 years)
9
25
BC Youth (2018, McCreary AHS) most common age of debut is at what age
15 or 16. (similar to all of Canada)
Sexual activity during adolescence (age 16 or later) is associated with psychological disturbance.
is not Levels of self-esteem and life satisfaction are similar to other adolescents’.
when is sexual activity a risk factor
early and ‘risky’ sexual activity (before age 16) is associated with other psychological and behavioural factors associated with risking taking behaviors.
early sex risk May depend on extent behavior is seen as …
normative.
behavioural profile of early starters
permissive attitude to sex, experimenting with drugs, delinquency, lower ac achievement
is early sex the cause of behavioural problems
Difficult to determine causation more about association. profiles occur first
hormonal influences on sexual activity?
maturation
Early maturers = likely to have sex earlier
t
For boys rise in androgens influence on sex
more thinking and engagement in sex (testosterone
why androgens increase in activity
leads to increase in sex drive
more attractive to girls
Girls sex drive = influenced by … as well but changes change in physical appearance (e.g., breast dev.) are primarily due to … levels
androgens
estrogen
how does estrogen influence sex drive
being more attractive to boys (interaction of individual with enviro)
Context is especially important for girls. why
social factors more influence due to their focus on social perception
Impact of authoritative parenting?
less likely to be sexually active at early age and engagement in risky sex
2 important parenting practices on sexual activity
authoritative
communication about sex
Importance of parent-adolescent communication about sex effect size
small effect on engaging in sex but does effect risky sexual practices (attitudes and values communicated)
Household composition predicts sexual involvement how
divorce or single parent house
Household composition predicts sexual involvement, especially among girls
t
Adolescents whose parents are in the process of divorcing, as well as girls who live in single-parent households, are more likely to ….
be sexually active earlier than their peers.
why influence of household composition more on girls 4
May be due to 1.) sex differences in social influences (stronger for girls) 2.) modeling of single-parent mothers and dating 3.) need for intimacy and support outside of home 4.) genetic component (puberty earlier sex)
household composition is only True when (or if) a divorce took place.
f True regardless of when (or if) a divorce took place.
more sexual activity among friends predicts sex why
Having sexually active peers establishes a normative standard that having sex is okay.
peers have most enviro influence on sex
t
Peers don’t communicate directly about sex, with friends or with potential partners.
f they do
Risk factors (factors that increase the likelihood of some behavior or condition) for sexual activity are ….
cumulative (all risk fators often feed into each other)
experience of sexuality differs for boys and girls why
Sexual socialization is different.
Early sexuality for males vs female interpreted how
E.g., recreation (boys describe this way) vs. intimacy
why sex associated with intimacy for girls
risk of pregnancy = more caution = feel more ambivalence (say they feel in love with them)
sex differences narrow with age in what domains
more similar in motives for having sex, more emotional, sexual liberation (both move toward other domain)
same sex attraction : 3 differences that can emerge
Sexual orientation Sex-role behavior Gender identity
T: attracted to those of the same sex
sexual orientation
T: behaves in traditionally masculine or feminine
sex role behaviour
T: which gender they believe they are
gender identity
Sexual harassment (…% of BC youth, females in 2018, McCreary AHS)
50 (mostly verbal)
hoe many BC youth experiences date rape
11% of BC youth reported sexual abuse.
T: when a young person is forced to have sex by a date
date rape
impact of sexual assault
depression, behavioural problems like alc and drug, eating disorders, lower school, more anxiety, more risky sex
adol or children more likely to be abused
Adolescents are abused and neglected at higher rates than children.
which 2 groups disproportionally effected by sexual abuse
Victims are disproportionately female (7% vs. 2% of males – BC Stats) and poor (low SES).
condom use is much higher today in BC
Condom use still quite low (BC youth, 2018 McCreary AHS)
top 3 common contraceptives
58% (condom)
44% (birth control pills) 46% (withdrawal)
pregnancy rates continue to decline
f Pregnancy rates are lower (compared to historically) and have plateaued
….% of BC youth reported ever being pregnant or causing a pregnancy
1
why less pregnancy in Canada
Likely increased in long-acting reversible contraception
(LARC e.g., IUDs) and other available accessible methods
have is teen pregnancy in US
lower than in past gen but U.S. has highest teen pregnancy rate among all industrialized countries (57%; per 1,000 females 15-19 years old).
Canada about …% (per 1,000 females 15-19 years old, Stats Can, 2005)
29
why are some youth not using contraceptives
- lack of planning
- lack of access
- lack of knowledge
why low contraceptive planning in young adol
not thinking long term when not having sex regularly
only …% of sexually active high school students used a Condon and birthcontrol last time they had sex
9%
why use both condom and birth control
Condom to prevent STDs
birth control to prevent pregnancy
Risky sexual behaviour increases risk of ..
STIs
…% condom use during oral sex (2018, BC
McCreary AHS)
17
…% of BC youth had been told by a doctor or nurse at some point that they had a STI
1
the rates of STI higher for those who have intercourse
Comparable rates of STIs between youth who had oral sex exclusively and those who had sexual intercourse exclusively
what does effective sex ed program look like
comprehensive sex education. best reduction in risky sex
not Abstinence-only sex education
effective safe sex program reduces rate of sex
Effective sex education can reduce adolescents’ likelihood of having unsafe sex, but it does not reduce their likelihood of having sex.
3 critical components of comprehensive sex education.
- teaches how to refuse unwanted sex (consent)
- how to avoid unintentional sex
3, increase adol motivation to engage in safe sex
comprehensive don’t just aim to change individual behaviours but….
change norms and context
sex edu can increase sex
f
Although most research on adolescent sexuality has focused on sexual intercourse, adolescents’ initial forays into the world of sex typically begin …
with less intimate sexual activity and gradually build toward intercourse.
With the possible exception of oral sex, adults have tended not to worry about sexual behavior other than …
intercourse
most adol sexual activity is what
fooling around
adolescents distinguish between acts that culminate in … (which are more likely to be viewed as leading to a loss of virginity) and those that don’t
orgasm
which means that adolescents’ responses to surveys about sex are biased by their actual experience who considers things to count as sex more and less
adolescents who have engaged in a specific behavior are more likely to say that the behavior doesn’t “count” in their definition of losing one’s virginity
Most adolescents’ first experience with sex falls into the category of …
autoerotic behavior
Sexual behavior that is experienced alone, such as masturbation or sexual fantasizing. :T
autoerotic behavior
By the time individuals have turned …, about 80% have engaged in some type of noncoital activity with another person
16
By about …, 80% have had either vaginal or oral sex; nearly all of those who hadn’t by 18 have done so before the end of their 20s
18`
There have been large increases over the past half-century in the proportion of adolescents who …
engage in oral or anal sex
The developmental progression of sexual behaviors, from less intimate to more intimate, has not changed very much over the past 60 years
t
oral or intercourse first
For about half of all adolescents, intercourse precedes oral sex by about a year, and for another third, both types of sex are initiated around the same time
the length of time between adolescents’ first sexual activity and the initiation of intercourse has narrowed considerably over the past 50 years which kids more likely
ones who want more autonomy
may be part of a larger pattern of earlier involvement in “adult” activities
although the gap in rates of sexual activity between rich and poor is substantially narrower now than it was a decade ago, again pointing to the …
increasingly normative nature of sexual intercourse among American teenagers
About … of sexually active adolescents have had sex with someone they are not in a romantic relationship with
one-third
About one-third of sexually active adolescents have had intercourse with someone they are not in a romantic relationship with should adults be worried about this
more likely to have casual sex and shorter romantic relationships as young adults
usually with someone they know
“Hooking up” doesn’t appear to have negative psychological consequences as long as the hookup was voluntary and desired
he assumption that these teenagers were more troubled than their peers has been replaced by what
This view has been replaced as sexual activity has become more prevalent among “normal” adolescents.
exposure to pornography is a risk factor
f
In the Netherlands, however, there is no link between depression and early sex why
where adults are more accepting of adolescent sexual activity,
Among girls with … parents, talking about sex is associated with more sexual activity, but this is not true among girls with parents who disapprove of premarital sex
liberal
Hispanic in which parental attitudes about sex tend to be relatively more conservative, communication with adolescents about values and beliefs concerning sex is associated with …
less sexual activity, but the degree to which parents directly caution their teenagers against sex does not seem to make a difference
Adolescents’ …4are far better predictors of early sexual initiation than is parent-adolescent communication
opportunity to have sex (for example, whether they are in a steady relationship or date frequently), their having sexually active friends, and their use of alcohol and drugs
Although religious involvement deters adolescents’ sexual activity, regular church attendance is associated with delayed sexual activity only among
adolescents whose …
friends attend the same church
whose parents discuss sex with them in an open and understanding way are less influenced by having sexually active peers
t
minor drug use is associated with earlier involvement in sexual activity
Brain imaging studies find that adolescents who engage in risky sex are more sensitive to social rewards, which may make them more easily influenced by what they believe their friends will approve of
with earlier and riskier sexual activity more likely in poorer and relatively more disorganized neighborhoods, where adults have little control over teenagers and where peer groups are relatively more powerful impact of parents in this
the effect of living in a disadvantaged neighborhood on early sexual initiation is exacerbated by parental hostility
sexual activity spreads within a community of adolescents much like an epidemic
t
the majority of gay, lesbian, and bisexual adults engaged in heterosexual activity during adolescence
t
Same-sex attraction spreads through adolescent social networks
f does not
school-based program called .. found significant reductions in psychological abuse and sexual violence one month after the program was implemented, but these effects had disappeared within one year
.Safe Dates
Girls who have been chronically sexually abused by their … are at greatest risk for problems
biological father
The younger sisters of adolescent mothers may be more likely to become adolescent parents themselves, why
in part because the older sisters may communicate some acceptance of early motherhood
the proportion of teenage births fathered by adult men (that is, age 20 or older) has declined over the past 40 years, and the age difference between teenage mothers (most of whom are 18 or 19) and their sexual partners is generally about …
2 or 3 years
teenagers whose
friends have become parents learn from their friends’ experiences, leading them to become parents themselves
f less sexually active and more likely to stay in school
The long-term consequences of early childbearing may not be as negative among Black adolescents as among Whites or Hispanics, especially among Black youth living in communities why
in which early childbearing is accepted as normative
Because adolescent mothers are more likely than adult mothers to be both …2, their children are at greater risk of developing a variety of psychological and social problems.
unmarried and poor
