Chapter 11 - Sexuality Flashcards
How do biological changes impact sexuality?
puberty
- hormones, increased sex drive
physical/body changes
- impact self and other’s views
- basis for attraction
reproductive capacity
- changes views on sexual behaviours and outcomes
How do cognitive changes impact sexuality?
hypothetical/thinking of possibilities
self consciousness
- confidence, imaginary audience, personal fable
thinking in relative vs absolute
thinking about abstractions
- love, friendship, sexual commitment, freedom
improved decision-making skills
- intention, consent, risk-taking
metacognition
How do social transitions impact sexuality?
norms, expectations, appropriate ages
authority over decision making (legal ages)
motivation for sexual behaviour
- girls: desire for love, serious emotional relationship
- boys: desire to increase status with peers
What is sexual socialization?
process through which individuals are exposed to and educated about sexuality
largely discontinuous and unclear in North America
- not taught until adolescence, very abrupt
What 3 categories did Ford and Beach find in terms of how societies handle sexual development? Where does North America fall?
restrictive
- pressure to refrain until marriage or formal adulthood
semi-restrictive
- pressures against adolescent sexual activity but not vigilantly enforced
permissive
- sexual activity during childhood/adolescence not greatly restricted
North America viewed as being semi-restrictive
In what ways is North America a semi-restrictive society?
believe sexual activity before 16 is almost always wrong
but it is part of most adolescents’ experiences
adults fine with it until they see it, try to pretend it is not happening
- ex. not letting couples sleep together at home despite knowing they are sexually active
How do parents affect adolescent values on sexuality?
strong agreement between adolescent and parental values
shows parents still primary factor behind adolescent sexual views
How has the sexual education curriculum changed in Ontario?
revised in 2015 to be more up to date and address current sexual behaviours
- consent, masturbation, gender spectrum, LGBTQ+, cyber exploitation, etc.
- sparked controversy
cancelled in 2018, re-introduced in 2019
Historically what has sexual behaviour research focused on?
intercourse
- non-coital aspects not recognized until now
concerning/negative aspects and impacts
- early sex, promiscuous sex, unwanted sex, unsafe sex
What 3 factors have contributed to the change in attitude towards sex over the past decades?
permissiveness with affection
- most adolescents believe sexual behaviour is okay as long as it occurs in loving relationship
- takes it out of “saving for marriage” state and into context of any intimate relationship (though youth may believe their relationship is intimate when it is not)
decline of double standard
- girls previously viewed as a slut if they have sex or a loser if they don’t
shift from conformity to institutionalized norms to emphasis on individual judgement
- ex. shift away from discriminating against same-sex relationships, shift away from waiting for marriage
What is age of consent? What are the ages in Canada?
any sexual activity/touching must be done with voluntary permission of every person involved
in Canada youth can consent to sexual activity at 16 years old
- exceptions if in peer groups or close in age
- close in age exemption between 14-15 if partner is less than 5 years older
- close in age clause between 12-13 and partners less than 2 years older
Why was the age of consent increased?
to limit adults from praying on youth
NOT to interfere with adolescent rights
What age of consent was reduced?
2019 age of consent for anal sex reduced from 18 to standard 16
important for gay and bisexual youth
What is the average age of first intercourse for Canadians?
16.5
How has age of first activity changed?
most likely to remain abstinent than 20 years ago
- over half of high school students have not had sex
How do the different genders state their sexual activity?
males overstate
females understate
reflects double standard
- self-reports either exaggerated or minimized
How does the method of questioning affect answers on sexual activity?
when allowed to type versus answer face to face, girls more likely to admit they were not virgins, whereas boys were more likely to admit they were virgins
What are some of the main reasons for more teens being abstinent now?
religious or moral commitment
avoid pregnancy, STD
haven’t found the right person
in a relationship but waiting for the right time
What are the effects of delaying sex until their 20’s?
report better mental health and greater satisfaction with their relationships than those who have sex during their teen years
have intimacy mastered by the time they approach sexuality
Are youth refraining from sexuality/sexual behaviour?
no
replace intercourse with other healthy and nurturing forms of sexual interaction
over fear of pregnancy and STIs
Who is most likely to engage in earlier sexual activity?
those uninformed about sex or their bodies
early maturers
cognitively immature adolescents
those who hang out with older peers
unpopular/low self-esteem
those in single parent families
lack knowledge of other emotional outlets
overly influenced by the media
What is more likely the younger a youth is when they have sex?
have unprotected sex
lack understanding of and confidence/self-assertion in providing consent
more likely to be manipulated/coerced
Why are risks of negative sexual experience especially high in adolescence?
lack experience and cognitive development to assess risk and make good decisions under pressure
unprepared, emotionally or practically
What are some possible risks of adolescent sexual activity?
negative emotional impact impact on development of intimacy psychological/emotional distress pregnancy STIs
What is the most common STI?
chlamydia
highly infectious, rates rising
What are the risks of STIs?
health impacts
- chronic infections, infertility, cancer, health compromises
interpersonal impact
- future sexual involvements
- sense of self
stigma
- public and self
Why don’t adolescents use safer sex methods?
lack of planning
lack of access
- information, availability, anonymity, affordability
lack of knowledge
- misinformation
- poor sexual socialization
cognitive limitations
- limited ability to think about possibilities
- underdeveloped future orientation
- egocentric thinking
decision making skills
- orientation to reward
peer norms
- risky behaviour more likely when friends engage
lack of preparation for and inability to manage strong sexual urges and emotions
- cognitive development, emotional development, maturity
developing sense/acceptance of sexuality
- not ready to acknowledge intent to be sexual or accept their sexuality
discomfort in discussing/using safer sex methods
religious beliefs
intentionality
- planned pregnancy
intimacy and interpersonal issues
- depth/length of relationship
- issues of trust/fidelity
What age group is the fastest growing in HIV transmission?
15-29
mostly males
What is the “90-90-90 by 2020” plan?
90% of people with HIV to know their status
90% diagnosed to receive treatment
90% achieve viral suppression
- low enough level that it can’t be spread
goal to eliminate threat of HIV by 2030
due to rising infection, 2020 goals not met and behind schedule for 2030
What makes it difficult to stop the spread of HIV?
very long (10-15 year) latency period
many infected as adolescents and remain asymptomatic until their 20s or 30s
- asymptomatic carriers, spread the virus throughout their adolescence
many youth HIV positive but unaware because they aren’t tested
What is most adolescent’s first sexual experience?
autoerotic behaviour
sexual behaviour experienced alone such as masturbation or sexual fantasizing
most make the transition towards sexual activity with others by high school
What is the typical order of events in sexual activity?
holding hands kissing making out feeling breasts feeling penis feeling vagina intercourse or oral sex
For whom is the time table for sexual activities faster?
adolescents who expect faster timeline of achieving autonomy from parents
those who experiment with drugs and alcohol
When are teenagers most likely to lose their virginity?
June for anyone
December if in a committed relationship
more likely to be sexually active when the weather is very hot or very cold
- more unsupervised time when on summer or winter break
What is the holiday effect?
rise in sexual debuts among romantic partners in December
How have trends surrounding sexual activity changed over time?
attitudes towards premarital intercourse becoming more liberal
today’s teenagers more sexually active
- greatest increase in prevalence of intercourse and greatest decline in age of first intercourse has been among females
percentage of adolescents who use alcohol or other drugs prior to having sex has increased
How do androgens affect sexual activity?
higher androgens (testosterone) more likely to be involved in sexual activity
- in boys, level of androgens directly related to likelihood of being sexually active
- among girls, though androgens are responsible for increased sex drive, estrogen primarily responsible for change in appearance and influences sexual activity through its impact on physical attractiveness to boys (much more determined by social context than biology)
this makes sense! boys develop in an environment much more uniformly tolerant and encouraging of sexual behaviour than girls do
How does parental influence affect first sexual encounters?
authoritative parenting -> decreased likelihood of risky and early sexual behaviour
parental communication about sex has surprisingly little impact on whether adolescents are sexually active
divorced/single-parent household adolescents more likely to be sexually active earlier
When are parent-child conversations about sex most effective?
interactive rather than dominated by parents
conversation about contraception
attitudes and values communicated and interpreted appropriately by adolescent
What are more important factors to sexual activity than parental communication?
opportunities for sex
sexually active friends
being in a steady relationship
use of drugs and alcohol
Why are girls from divorced/single-parent households more likely to be sexually active compared to boys from this situation?
social influences on girl’s sexual behaviour are stronger
single parent mothers likely to be dating, may unknowingly be role models of sexual activity
girls more likely to go outside the family for alternative sources of warmth and support
same gene that makes men more likely to leave their family may make adolescent girls more likely to enter puberty early and become sexually active earlier
What are the effects of virginity pledges?
only effective on younger adolescents
high schoolers will often deny having taken one
those who take one less likely to use contraception - encouraging abstinence promotes unsafe sex
How do boys development of sexuality and first sexual experiences go?
development of sexuality revolves around integrating capacity to form close relationships into already existing sense of sexual capacity
before dating boys likely to keep matters of sex and intimacy separate, first experiences usually viewed in terms of recreation
boys usually initiate sex
How do girls development of sexuality and first sexual experiences go?
masturbation far less common and practiced, so girls likely to experience sex for the first time with another person
development of sexuality involves integrating sexual activity into existing capacity for intimacy and emotional involvement
- more likely to engage in sex to enhance an emotional connection
What are some trends surrounding males and females exploring their sexuality?
males more likely to have same-sex relations before identifying as gay/bisexual, opposite is true for females
females more likely to have heterosexual relations before identifying as lesbian/bisexual, opposite is true for males
females who have same-sex contact in adolescence almost always do in adulthood, same is not true for males
How do bisexual and homosexual males and females describe their mothers and fathers?
bi and gay males more likely to describe fathers as distant and rejecting
bi and gay females more likely to describe mothers as cold and unpleasant
